"Doctors warn against over-medicalising menopause"

[flashbac]

"Writing in the British Medical Journal they said there was an urgent need for a more realistic and balanced narrative which actively challenges the idea that menopause is synonymous with an inevitable decline in women’s health and wellbeing..."

www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jun/15/doctors-warn-against-over-medicalising-menopause-after-uk-criticism

I must admit, the raising awareness of how shit the menopause can be has created some worry about my impending menopause, so much so that I've decided against a career change in my 40s.

Are we making too much of a big deal and being overly negative? Or are these doctors just being patronising? Anyone had an easy menopause?

'I came off it after being diagnosed with breast cancer and was immediately put on anastrozole. So effectively fast tracked to post menopause.After 10 months I feel great, still get muscle aches but manage them with antihistamines and magnesium. But everything else has gone. No palpitations , no insomnia, no vitrified, my DH is constantly asking if I’m ok since my mood is so calm. I am back to how I was 20 yrs ago.'

Sorry about your diagnosis , it is however reassuring to read positive stories like yours that the effects of depleted oestrogen such as insomnia can be transient in some women.

But this thread is about the government wanting women to suffer in silence in the first place.

Thats not what this thread is about.

This thread is about the article “Normalising Menopause” in which the authors argued:
“We argue that medicalisation of menopause risks collapsing the wide range of experiences at the average age associated with this natural process into a narrowly defined disease requiring treatment. Medicalisation tends to emphasise the negative aspects of menopause and, while effective treatments are important for those with troublesome symptoms, medicalisation may increase women’s anxiety and apprehension about this natural life stage. Changing the narrative by normalising menopause and emphasising positive or neutral aspects such as freedom from menstruation, pregnancy, and contraception, together with information about managing troublesome symptoms might empower women to manage menopause with greater confidence.”

I'm not looking for a fight either, I thought it may be help to point out, just to raise awareness of this in case it's helpful for anyone and they wish to read more.

*helpful, sorry

Show us where anyone has ha ha'd anyone and if you can't you should apologise. You have been incredibly rude and spoilt thread for people discussing menopause.

The thread isn't about the government wanting women to suffer in silence or otherwise. You are making things up.

'But if you gloat at people suffering'

Who has gloated at anyone's suffering? You seem to have a massive chip on your shoulder perhaps you could talk it through with your gp, must be very damaging to feel so indignant and angry. If you felt you were ignored for 7yrs perhaps complain? Not all GP practices are like that. Anecdotally (obviously)everyone I know has not had any issues getting hrt, even going back a few years so not all down to Davina and the current focus on it.

Yes I think there is some interesting information on here but it is a shame we also have the aggressive stuff. I'd say some of us could discuss it elsewhere but I suspect the same thing would happen.

The thread title is

'Doctors warn against over-medicalising menopause'. They don't want to give us medicine. It is just at the top there ^

We don't take HRT for fun. We don't take HRT and do HRT tennis waiting for weeks for a prescription to be filled because we need something to spend our sad little non-busy times on.

Someone who says they were too busy 'lol' is literally laughing at us. LOL - stands for LAUGH out LOUD. As in Ha Ha.

And apparently I don't understand English.

Maybe the person who LOLed at us. Just a thought.

Massive chip? Are you saying I'm just angry because I have a chip on my shoulder? Do you not think it was unfair to have to wait 7 long painful years to even get a diagnosis? You bet I'm angry. Why shouldn't women be angry when people laugh at us for being ill?

The lack of HRT is well before Davina got involved. I've had trouble for the last 3 years getting hold of it.

'Someone who says they were too busy 'lol' is literally laughing at us. LOL - stands for LAUGH out LOUD. As in Ha Ha.'

She wasn't laughing at you. You mustn't take everything as a personal insult, it was said in a lighthearted way. If she’d said 'people who take hrt are stupid lol' you'd have a point. But she didn't.

Sigh, “over-medicalising” doesn’t mean doctors don’t want to give medication for something. Yes, you do understand English, but you have spectacularly failed to comprehend the basic meaning of much that has been posted and written in this thread.

No one’s said HRT is “for fun”. Everyone’s said some women need HRT due to menopause symptoms. The article even said women need HRT for any symptoms that are troublesome or worse.

Even the “I’ve been too busy, lol” you refer to wasn’t anyone laughing at you. They weren’t even responding to a post of yours. They were literally laughing at themselves.

'Do you not think it was unfair to have to wait 7 long painful years to even get a diagnosis?'

Yes if someone has meno issues their GP should prescribe hrt. Your gp is who you should be angry at though, not contributors on this thread.

This!!

Well, I think you have spectacularly failed to understand what is going on here.

The government have increased the retirement age for women and have worked out that to do that, women have to work later in life.

This means more of them have to work longer and harder and more women are going to need HRT.

The government know this will cost the NHS more £. So they are getting in first and trying to, just as women are starting to understand more about how this works, reduce the bill.

They are trying to put the onus on women to manage their own symptoms and even in this thread, there are many excuses [not busy enough, trendy, all in their heads, don't understand English properly, too fat] that put the onus and blame back on the women who are suffering. I mean, the words have been typed on here, i've not made them up. They are right there ^

The reason it pisses people like me off, is that - even though I'M ALRIGHT JACK - because I now have HRT, many many women will have the same battle as me, trying to persuade a doctor to take them seriously.

And women on here just suck it up and don't fight it. It is quite unbelieveable how people will just nod and agree and not fight this.

Tbh I just want a discussion re menopause without posters taking affront, becoming aggressive or telling others to go away and Google

Finally this thread has allowed some of us to do that. It’s no reflection on people suffering and now we have managed to get a space to do it I’m not going to be shut down.

God quotes are long these days

Anyway if women want to discuss low symptoms and what to do re HRT then they are included too

ITbh I just want a discussion re menopause without posters taking affront, becoming aggressive or telling others to go away and Google

Finally this thread has allowed some of us to do that. It’s no reflection on people suffering and now we have managed to get a space to do it I’m not going to be shut down.

Don't worry, I've left the UK and there are no HRT issues here - there soon won't even be an NHS - but maybe people should just stop blaming women who do suffer by saying it is all in their head, it's trendy, they are too fat yada yada and pay attention to what is really going on here.

The government are not doing this because they suddenly became aware of women as a concept and started caring about them. That's for damn sure.

If you aren't all angry about this then not sure I can help really. Keep calm and carry on.

55 y old female GP here. Agree not a panacea for all but , quite simply , I think I will need it until retirement. Came off it for a few months and the brain fog was dreadful.

As someone who has had a fair bit of abuse for asking a question yeh it’s not great when you feel that way.

But I’m glad you are in a better place, I’ve said a few times all types of symptoms should be welcome, and we should all have a space to talk about what’s relevant to us.

Yes I do want to continue to chat with others over the decision, I don’t feel aggressive posts help so if that’s you out then ok. Your story might be useful for those in same situation but if you see us the way you do.. well it’s up to you.

'If you aren't all angry about this then not sure I can help really. Keep calm and carry on.'

Angry about what? Body identical HRT is widely available on the NHS. Recent shortages due to a rise in demand are now getting resolved. Women are allowed to question the evidence available when we are told to google. It is you who needs to keep calm and carry on.

The only thing I would suggest is to be clear at the GPs, no long monologues about every twinge and sweat, just 'I am menopausal I am suffering from insomnia, overheating and joint pain I want to try hrt' <or similar>.

Oh right, I see.

Not sure if you really do realise just how patronising you are.

'I'm suffering menopause symptoms, my mother went into menopause at 38 and I have x, y and z'. She had osteoporosis as did all the females in my family and I don't want that as well'
GP - you are too young to be tested. I'm not ordering that.

I kept the diary page from that appointment. For the last 13 years. I'll go get it out if you want.

Honestly do you think I didn't spend 7 years trying to get a doctor to take notice?

Really?

I really don’t want to get jumped on but is there any correlation between suffering from painful periods, heavy periods, PMT or post natal depression connected to the level of suffering during peri?
I only ask this because my df was diagnosed with PMDD in her 20’s and is suffering terribly with peri, I on the other hand have been fortunate enough to never suffer with PMT or painful periods and while I do have peri symptoms they are manageable. I find myself exaggerating symptoms when we chat because I feel so guilty.

'Not sure if you really do realise just how patronising you are.'

Patronising/helpful depending on your viewpoint. You sound very aggressive, so what, shall we keep trading insults?

I wasn't suggesting you didn't communicate your issues clearly, rather advising others what to say if they want hrt. Women need to be clear. In your situation you should've asked for a referral to gynae or a meno specialist if you did have premature menopause. Gps are just that, general practitioners anyone with unusual issues should be referred.

As I keep saying the problem seems to be your specific GP. They aren't all like that.

Anywayyy. To get back on track let's hope we see some positive stats and new evidence soon.

the only thing I would suggest is to...

I wasn't suggesting

So sorry to take your actual words and interpret them as the words they commonly mean. I should have guessed that when you suggested something you weren't actually suggesting something.

Sorry about your diagnosis Flowers, it is however reassuring to read positive stories like yours that the effects of depleted oestrogen such as insomnia can be transient in some women

I just worry that whilst some symptoms might be transient, others come on gradually over time and you don't realise until a good few years have past and it's too late then. Thinking of my Mum and her vaginal atrophy, bladder issues and anxiety, she has just lost so much confidence. The VA is particularly grim.