Did I just hear this? GPs can't be expected to "specialise" in women's health?

[CheeseDreamz]

Listening to Women's Hour on Radio 4 - discussion on the HRT panorama programme now. Speaker was Paula something. Can someone confirm that is what she actually said? 51% of the population is not a specialism.

This. I don’t care if you’re a specialist, just take enough interest to refer me to one. Too many women’s issues are dismissed as well it’s a women’s problem so just cope with it, or the woman being anxious. .

I get what you mean. I will never forget at 18 years old going to see the GP because my periods were more painful than usual, being very nervous about it because I'm an 18 year old girl, and the male GP taking his glasses off, rubbing his eyes and going "well this is something for a woman doctor to deal with, I'll go and get her". And I just thought... Really? You didn't study uteri in your eight years of medical training?

It's seared very strongly into my memory. It wasn't something that required a specialist. The uterus is a body part 50% of the population own, it should be within the knowledge base of all general practitioners, not just those that also have uteri.

@Lifeasweknowitisrandom

Treatment for tonsillitis-
Over counter meds (no gp required)
Antibiotics (guidelines state which antibiotics work best and how long to take)

Treatment for menopause-
Patches
Gels
Tablets
Oestrogen- various strengths
Progesterone- various strengths or mirena
Testosterone- only available via private route
Anti depressants
Oestrogen lubricants
Pain killers (over counter and prescription)
Additional factors-
History of breast cancer
History of clots
Age
Wether still menstruating
Wether still have a uterus

Slight difference

Yes and their training will take that into account.

Our GP surgery makes me chuckle. Mention anything vaguely "women's problems" to the male senior practice GP (is that the correct term?) and he'll look panicked and refer you to the female GP. I mean, she is good, but surely you don't have to be a "specialist" to start someone off on HRT??

It also makes me laugh that he blatantly hogs all the first baby check ups. Abusing his position to get all the cuddles 😆

This!

Well as long as they actually know about the basics…

I know someone who was told that being in pain from period pain to the point of passing out. With every single period. Was normal.
My endometriosis (actually pretty common) was misdiagnosed as IBS.
Migraines linked with hormones problems etc etc….

Too many times, symptoms are dismissed because 1- women are still considered ‘hysterical’ and 2- GP know nothing about the specifics of women, even down to very simple symptoms

Pretty sure most GPs can treat the menopause without being a specialist in the same way they can treat tonsillitis without being an ENT specialist. It's a common things so they don't need to be a specialist. If it's a particularly difficult menopause then they can refer on in the same way as any other condition.

Spot on.
It seems like some GPs don't even have enough knowledge/interest in common 'women's health' issues to refer them to specialists in a timely manner, if at all. Or pass the woman over to whichever colleague in the practice does know/care.

Women should have automatic access to gyno, not having to beg via gp like in some other countries. I had gyno since 15 where I grew up in EU. Not once did I have to go to gp with these issues.

@Lifeasweknowitisrandom

It's currently not mandatory for GP training to include menopause so that training starts at zero hours.

Nor does it have to be completed as part of CPD.

This is true. However they are the gatekeepers to the actual specialists though and you've got to convince them you need to be referred. Which as we know is tricky and can take years of suffering first.

It wouldn't do any harm for them to brush up so they can help women better than they are.

I'm not a GP but that's certainly not what the internet says. It talks about it being a core competency part of training.

Which conditions would you suggest they don't brush up on? The same could be said about every single condition.

Absolutely right, @FortunataTagnips!

Knowing about women’s health doesn’t seem a particularly niche specialism to me either.

I read that until recently menopause wasn’t a compulsory course at medical school. So some of them probably don’t treat it with much confidence.

I am a bit agahast at the number of apologists for this attitude. "Women's health" is not a specialism, not something I would expect a GP or actually any doctor "not to be interested in" and not really comparable with a specific condition like tonsilitus. Menopause may be a specialism, women's health - even meaning women's gynocological health in particular - from birth to death, is something that GPs should really have a grasp of. Women's bodies have repeatedly been deemed "too variable" in clinical trials to give accurate results. Are they too difficult, too variable or just not important enough for anyone to bother properly with? Often yes.

There is so much evidence that medicine and healthcare are not designed for the specific bodies of female humans, that their pain isn't taken seriously, that they are repeatedly misdiagnosed, ignored and dismissed and especially at general practice level. I just found it shocking that Paula Briggs, who turns out to be the chair of the British Menopause Society would say this out loud.

Yes, not all GPs, but enough that there are boards full of women on here trying to get access to decent health care for their women specific issues.

Apologists 🤣

Yep, they mainly google as far as I can see!

Right?! Knowing about something that's definitely going to affect 51% of your patients seems pretty basic to me.

This.
If GPs made a point of saying they weren't specialists in children's health it'd sound outrageous. No, they're not paediatricians, but they need to know how treating a child is different to treating an adult! Same with men and women.

Don't be ridiculous.

They wouldn't. 100% of the population don't have bowel issues.

100% of women WILL go through the menopause!

They shouldn;t need to specialise in order to be able to treat 51% of the population (at GP level).

So in my GP surgery one of the (female, part time) GPs is the "womens health specialist". Great if you can get an appt with her - which is unlikely. You shouldn't need to be a specialist GP to be able to talk about contraception or HRT or heavy periods. Any qualified dr should be able to do it and obviously refer to gynae if needed. It's criminal this doesn't seem to always be the case.

My GP a has a special interest in woman's health.

I don't see the issue. They're not specialists in anything. They don't specialise in men's issues either.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

No.

It was a two week OPTIONAL module on menopause when my cousin went through medical school 8 years ago.