Nuffield Health welcomes NICE guidelines on menopause

Research conducted by not-for-profit healthcare provider Nuffield Health found despite evidence that HRT can significantly improve quality of life for many women, and can protect younger women from long-term diseases including osteoporosis, a third of women who visited a GP were not made aware of HRT. In total, just one in five women who visited a GP were prescribed HRT, a third were told HRT was unsuitable for them, while 14 per cent said they turned it down due to the belief that it is dangerous.

Dr Annie Evans said: “Increasingly the evidence shows appropriate hormone replacement therapy to be suitable for many women, with far less risks than previously thought. The options should be carefully explained to each individual woman, in light of her own risks, future goals and the quality of life she is experiencing. It is an absolute tragedy that large numbers of women are getting no help at all.”

Of 3,275 women aged 40-65 studied in 2014, almost half (47 per cent) of those with symptoms said they feel depressed, while more than a third (37 per cent) said they suffer from anxiety. Despite this, more than two thirds (67 per cent) of UK women say there is a general lack of support or advice for those going through the menopause. 

Women in the workplace fare even worse; a massive 72 per cent of female workers suffering symptoms said they feel unsupported at work, even though one in five (19 per cent) say their symptoms have a detrimental effect on their work. One in ten women said they have even considered quitting their job.

Dr Annie Evans, Menopause Specialist at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, The Chesterfield, said: “Menopause is a condition which is often side-lined as just a fact of life, and not something to be taken seriously, but for many women the symptoms are extreme and can have a devastating impact on their life.  Many feel anxious, confused, depressed and exhausted to the point where they are struggling to cope with daily routine.  

The menopause is not something that just happens to women in their 50s, but can affect those in their 40s through to late 60s.   These women can suffer in silence for years when they could have been benefitting from tailored advice or support to help them understand what is going on."

The survey also flags up a number of barriers that menopause experts say may be causing thousands of women to miss out on advice, management strategies or treatment which could significantly improve their quality of life. 

Despite reporting symptoms like joint and muscle ache, hot flushes, irregular periods, night sweats, mood swings and poor memory, 45 per cent of women questioned failed to recognise they could be experiencing symptoms linked to the menopause, with just under half (42 per cent) mistakenly believing they are too young or too old for symptoms.  A quarter simply put it down to stress.   

Just over a third (38 per cent) of women sought help from a GP. However, a quarter of those who visited a GP said the possibility of the symptoms being menopause related failed to come up. 

Last updated Monday 4 July 2016

First published on Thursday 12 November 2015