GP searching on Google!!!!

[Roseshavethorns100]

Hi to anyone who reads this post.
I was in my doctors for an appointment last week regarding getting hrt, told her I'd had a subtotal hysterectomy three years ago and listed my current symptoms, told her I just can't function properly anymore.
The next thing I know she's on Google reading out about the type of hrt that should be given after said hysterectomy.
Is this normal for Dr's to do? Am I wrong to be really annoyed about it?

@Roseshavethorns100 You get more incoherent the more you reply.

The only comprehension you have is in the word troll.

Well done.

10/10.

Patients are human too!!!

Yes, you’re wrong. The whole point about GPs is that they are General Practitioners and not experts in any particular area. I would be pleased that she was checking that she had got it right and was getting the most up-to-date advice.

British menopause society

The front page of the British Menopause Society states:

For healthcare professionals
The British Menopause Society (BMS) is the specialist authority for menopause and post reproductive health in the UK. Established in 1989, the BMS educates, informs and guides healthcare professionals, working in both primary and secondary care, on menopause and all aspects of post reproductive health.

Your GP went to the right place to get the information!!!

This absolutely.

Fair enough but its not about the page she went to.

In a job where accuracy is vital (like a GPs, or mine) even when I basically "know" something, I still always double check it online.

These are 2 separate issues. People are defending doctors lack of specialist knowledge but no one is defending them minimising your experience.

As for testosterone not all GPs are allowed to prescribe it and in some areas you have to pay privately for it.

As I said before, healthcare has changed over the years with more understanding of conditions and more complex management and treatment options. Whilst I don’t agree that any healthcare professional should dismiss or minimise, I do understand that they cannot possibly know all the up to date information about all healthcare conditions. Although 50% of the population are female and likely to have menopause symptoms at some point, there are also 1 in 2 people that will get cancer, a huge proportion of aged patients with multiple complex conditions, a large proportion of children, mental health conditions etc. There are guidelines and protocols for everything.

Education used to be a priority but with financial constraints it is so difficult to access courses and study days to increase one’s knowledge. Expectations from the public have increased alongside becoming a more litigious society so when you put this altogether it is unsurprising that doctors need to look things up.

So the GP didnt 'Google', your OP is VERY misleading.

They used the British Menopause Society page.

At my last consultation, this is the resource the HIGHEST RANKING CONSULTANT in the region I live in directed me to check for the latest medication advice and updates.

I have also used it to help shape the menopause guidance at work, as it was recommened by the HR body we work with as a key resource.

So you have your knickers in a spin that the GP checked one the leading sources of info for menopausal women in the UK? One thats constantly updated? One thats used by specialists in the condition?

Or do you have your knickers in a spin that they dont know all the info from that resource memorised, even if it might just have been updated that morning?

Which country are you in @Roseshavethorns100
Can't be UK 'cos you said you had to pay for your appt.

Ireland. You only get free medical care if you are eligible based on your income etc.

It's not misleading at all. I said I saw them doing it.
Knickers not in a spin at all. I'm fucking fed up of doctors not listening to women

I'm also sick of people who don't like that you have a different opinion to theirs. My poll was to see what others thought of it not for others to come and tell me I'm wrong and they're right f off if you don't like someone having a different opinion to yours it's so stupid.

I too am UTTERLY sick of not being listened to by doctors, it’s been miserable being perimenopausal and having some very niche fanny problems myself.

However, your GP used Google to find the BMS page to give you the latest advice. That’s it really.

Yes that's it, and I asked others opinions on it, it doesn't mean I'm wrong because I don't agree with it being done in front of a patient. Especially when I've never experienced a doctor doing that at any appointment I've had. Of course I understand that they have to research and are continually learning changing how they practice as medicine and science change.
Apologies for the profanity in previous message.

It seems quite efficient and responsible for the doctor to use a reputable online resource while you’re there with them.
But as you don’t agree with this, would you have preferred them to give you information that wasn’t accurate or up to date, instead of checking?
Or did you want them to say “I don’t know about this” and send you away, or tell you to make another appointment, so they had chance to use this resource privately?

I totally understand frustration with doctors not taking things seriously, but a doctor who looks something up is listening and finding the latest guidance, not ignoring your concerns.

Your GP was doing the right thing IMO.
There are different ways of prescribing for a sub-total hysterectomy and it would be unusual for a GP to know if they are not a meno specialist or have training. Many would take advice from a specialist or s specialist source.

For example, you may or may not need progesterone, depending if you have any left-over uterine lining on your cervix. The usual prescribing practise is to trial progesterone for 3 months to see if there is any blood loss when it's stopped.

It's pretty reasonable a GP would do some research on this as they may not come across the issue that often and guidance does change.

Dont ever apologise, profanity is the least of our worries when you're in peri/menopause and trying to get medical help 💐

Thank you I appreciate your kind words
It's so frustrating though that we're just expected to suck it up and get on with it.
I have very little trust in doctors as it is but she was so dismissive of me and then went on Google.
Where as a previous gp had recommended hrt without any issues and stated in will need adjusting to get the right balance.

If you can try to see the other GP. I've found finding a knowledgable one, who is happy to prescribe HRT and help you get settled on it is a tough ask. Even though the year is 2025. I had to go private in the UK to even try to add testostorone to my plan.

I have had counselling due to the mess my body is in and previous issues with medical treatment. I lean a lot on the thought process of - How am I doing today, how can I deal with it today and putting my bad experiences with treatments/drugs/doctors in the past. Otherwise I was dwelling a lot on the bad times and not being listened to. I have to advocate for myself very strongly in appointments and always go in prepared with what I would like to happen written down x

I have watched my own GP sit and search for things on Google, as have others on this thread. It's far from unusual

GPs are General Practitioners. In other words, they do not specialise and often know very little past the basics of each individual complaint/illness/diagnosis. They get very little training on peri/menopause and HRT.

See a menopause specialist.

I'd love to but near me they do not exist. Local GPs take one look at my condition / HRT regime and have no clue what to do. I have been referred to the local hospital but have never made it past getting a scan. I am still waiting to see the elusive gynae consultant. I dont actually think they exist where I am in Scotland.

Instead I travel 3 hours to see a private one in person, after an online doctor also gave me the swerve. Its a day off work, £500 per appointment plus travel and then I pay for my new prescriptions privately until my local GP decides whether or not they can prescribe it.

I say this with love, its just not that simple for a lot of us I am afraid. I'd love to see a menopause specialist but they are very hard to find. GPs are the front line and I think the burden on GPs is enormous. I dont expect them to know about all forms of medication off the top of their head. I'd be grateful if they even spoke to me and Googled!