Newson Health and the menopause industry

I find her a bit cult-ish. I once questioned the whole anti-depressants versus HRT thing on a forum and ended up being completely piled-on by her acolytes. For some HRT isn't the answer - for me it was Prozac that got me out of the scariest pit of depression. HRT didn't really do jack-shit.

@WitheringHighs It's interesting that you wish for more funding for PCOS - and I agree. I don't think many women have it explained to them that it can indirectly be the cause of limiting life. I pay double premium for critical illness cover after I bought a house, and assumed that this was because both my parents and two grandparents died of cancer prior to retirement at relatively early ages. Nope. Turns out it's because the issues that PCOS can cause (hypertension, weight gain, diabetes, heart disease etc) are more likely to kill me than cancer, even with my awful family history. It's only in the last two years (and I'm 52) that it's been explained to me that heath-wise I'm in trouble and need to up my game.

Just to add she was the most amazing woman - hrt no issue plus she recommended and prescribed vagifem and I'm having a blood test to detect testosterone levels next week. All on the NHS!

This

Let's say it again

My new menopause nurse at my local surgery says she soends a lot of time undoing the harm Newson has done- huge doses of oestrogen, and testosterone given to all which has made some women she sees have irreversible male pattern baldness.

My GP was brilliant - listened to me, asked me about diet and exercise, agreed I was doing the right things and prescribed HRT straight away. I’m really sorry for women who don’t feel listened too or well treated

I am in Italy - home of the attitude "if women go through it, it should not be medicated!" 😂 I had one induced birth with no pain relief (and that includes gas and air) and one c-section with only a handful of paracetamol. They really don't like medication for anything around reproduction. There seem to be far more gender specialists advocating hormone treatment for dysphoria than gynaecologists for menopausal women....

This is really poor and I agree it encourages private clinics who may have a very different agenda. It is not something i recognise from my clinical practice or amongst my menoapusal friends though. I wonder why there is such a big variation in practice given that NICE guidelines are pretty comprehensive.

The uptake of HRT in southern European countries like Greece, Italy or Spain is very, very low compared to the UK and Scandinavia. There are lots of cultural reasons at play here.

Sincerely glad it has helped you and I hope you were able to get the help you needed on the NHS.

Yeah I didn't want to feel 21 again either. Feeling not-suicidal was a start. Sounds just like my GP who said I should take folic acid and try the Headspace app. 🙄

Seriously. Women are having to fight tooth and nail in many situations to get HRT patches. I was fobbed off twice by two (female, middle aged) GPs who when faced with a woman in her late 40s who had had a hysterectomy and who was in tears in the surgery just reached for the prescription pad and dished out anti depressants. Then a third (younger, male) GP who did some blood tests, pronounced me "normal" and said I should take folic acid. Then FINALLY after struggling on for another few months spoke to a fourth (middle aged, male) GP who agreed that I could have estrogen patches.

This is not an unusual experience. Many of my friends have experienced similar battles with the NHS to get a basic prescription of patches/gel and progesterone if you need it. The reason these clinics exist is that the NHS is failing women so badly.

I'm very sorry that HRT is not an option for you. There certainly are women it can benefit, even though as I said, it is generally oversold and unnecessary for the majority.

No judgement here! Hope the lifestyle choices are worth the consequences they may (or not!) bring 😄Totally believe in having and enjoying the life you want, as long as the decision is informed!!

What the BBC should be focusing on is why so many women are forced into paying £££ to private clinics for consultation and private prescriptions in the first place.

Because the average NHS GP has zero interest in menopause, zero knowledge about menopause and fobs desperate women off with antidepressants or other pointless advice. That's the real scandal.

@Nothingeverything Would you mind sharing what country you're in that is so vehemently against HRT? Just curious!

What an excellent post.
And it's good to see that the "all older women need HRT" hype train may finally be slowing.
Menopause has become - for some - simply a way to make money.

I live in a country that is vehemently against hrt and I have tried everything else suggested (exercise, diet, supplements etc etc) already. Tbh I am feeling pretty desperate now and no, I am not looking to turn back the clock. I just want to be able to function and hold down my job (which I am currently thinking of giving up even though I know this would be disastrous economically). It is really frustrating to be told that it is just a natural process and that I should suck it up. How many women end up impoverishing themselves or worse because of the effects of menopause?

I also feel this expectation that medicine can - and SHOULD IN ALL CASES - be able to turn back the clock so we all feel 21 years old for the rest our lives despite normal ageing and bad lifestyle choices.

I don’t know a single woman of menopausal age which given I’m in my 50s is a lot of them who thinks HRT will make them feel 21 again

my HRT makes me feel considerably less shit and yes I exercise and yes I eat healthily and no I don’t smoke but it’s not enough for me personally without HRT as well

Good lord. There is so much misinformation on that thread linked above.

I do think there is a ?widely-held misunderstanding that HRT is somehow necessary for all women going through menopause, which seems to have been perpetuated by well meaning TV personalities who have had a bad time during menopause, or by those with a vested interest (LN included). Plus social contagion.

It is also sold as a magic bullet. I'm a GP, and I will never say no to any woman who comes to me wanting HRT if there are no contraindications. If they have made a decision to seek help, then I believe that their subjectively-experienced symptoms are bad enough to have done so. But I do try to be crystal-clear that many women do not benefit - maybe I come across as unwilling to help or unsympathetic , neither of which would be true. And there ARE risks and there ARE side-effects.

Plus there is the opportunity cost to the NHS of over-treating women who do not really need it. I am not singling out women's health; there are so many other areas of medical overtreatment. I also feel this expectation that medicine can - and SHOULD IN ALL CASES - be able to turn back the clock so we all feel 21 years old for the rest our lives despite normal ageing and bad lifestyle choices.

I accept and agree that women's health is completely underprioritised - but I would rather see the funds and energy go into PCOS, endometriosis and migraine.

They’re paying because their GPs are dragging their feet, or simply for convenience if they can afford it.

My own GP is great, but I have friends who have been fobbed off over and over again (sometimes by female doctors).

lots the menopause resources are available online. There's tons of books and resources.

I agree that there's so much information available.

I don't understand why some women would pay such huge sums of money just to be prescribed oestrogen and progesterone?!

NHS may be overwhelmed but lots the menopause resources are available online. There's tons of books and resources. Even the Newson clinics stuff is pretty decent. There's programmes on telly, podcasts etc.
Women have to take individual control because no approach is right for everyone. We all have different bodies and history and risk appetites.

It's difficult to educate yourself when the NHS is too overwhelmed to take you on, and private medicine is deeply invested in getting you to spend, spend, spend. It rather poisons the research well.

Every single health service including the NHS gets stuff wrong. Newson clinic will be no exception.
Women need to educate themselves, make informed choices and challenge Healthcare professionals to be clear on what they are recommending and why.