NHS campaign #changethechange

[siiiiiiiiigh]

There's a new campaign starting, #changethechange.

Getting evidence based information about the menopause is really difficult, this is to try and address that.

There's a series of blogs on "evidently Cochrane" this week (Cochrane review is a body that reviews all research, NICE guidelines come from this). Here's todays: endo, HRT and what men would make of it if it were them

There's also a new forum, run by specialist nurses:
www.changethechange.org/

Bout bloody time.

I have a big bone to pick with the Cochrane report on HRT.
Where to start?

Well, to begin with they have it appears reviewed and collated lots of research trials and come to some conclusions. But some of the research they used is now discredited (WHI in the USA for example) and more than 10 years out of date.

The research only covers oral (pill form) oestrogen, CEE, and synthetic progestogens. It does not examine research into HRT where oestrogen is transdermal and progesterone is used instead of progestogens ( and this is where other experts think the link between breast cancer and HRT lies.)

It has been known- and proven by other studies that transdermal HRT does not carry the same (if any) risks of blood clots. There has been a Danish study and a large study in France that shows the risks are not the same as shown by the flawed WHI and MW trials.

KEEPs study here

KEEPS study on HRT

DANISH study

Danish study on CVD and HRT

French study on use of natural progesterone and breast cancer

French study on different progestogens and breast cancer

It's an absolute minefield.

It makes me really cross - studies are generally poorly conducted, funded by those with a vested interest, or not addressing questions raised by previous studies.

But, who cares, it's only a condition which affects 50% of the population. Bah.

Do you work in this field, pinks? I'll read those links later on, thanks very much.

No I don't work in the field I'm just a curious and widely read :)

It'd be great to have alliance between people like you and people commissioning the studies.