2 weeks Ago
It won't come as a shock to most women reading this that, for far too many years, peri and post-menopausal women have had to fight for their right to access this medication. Finally, an increasing number of doctors are open to the idea that prescribing HRT can have real benefits for their patients – and undoubtedly for many women this has made a life-changing difference. Even though 13million women in the UK are going through the menopause, it is estimated that one in four have to visit their GP at least three times before getting appropriate treatment.
Last year's official draft guidelines advising GPs to consider alternative treatments, such as talking therapies 'alongside or as an alternative to' HRT to help reduce menopause symptoms –such as insomnia, low mood and hot flushes – have now been revised. Dr Max believes believe low mood and anxiety during menopause are a result of complex social and psychological factors, rather than simple biology Health officials backtracked after accusations of 'medical misogyny', the implication being that menopausal symptoms were 'all in the mind'. Indeed, this week NICE changed its guidance, advising that HRT should be offered as the first line of treatment.
A positive development you might think, but I'm not sure. Regular readers will know I am quite a fan of HRT and have seen many patients' lives transformed by it, but HRT isn't suitable for everyone and talking therapies can help women presenting with symptoms that have a psychological component. For instance, many women talk about no longer feeling like themselves, a disconcerting sense of something having changed; a vague undercurrent of unease, despair and discombobulation.
But what causes all this turmoil? Can this be put down to simply a blip in hormones that's addressed by HRT? Can we explain away a woman's dissatisfaction with life and her sense of loss and malaise as a chemical reaction? I honestly don't think so. I believe it's far more complicated than..
. Dr Max Pemberton.
