Why?
What is the menopause? Menopause is the stage in a woman’s life when her periods cease. Menopause typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 50 years. But it can come earlier. In fact 1 in 100 women enter the menopause under 40 years.
The cross-party All-Party Parliamentary Group on Menopause (APPG) has published this report today (12.10.22):
https://menopause-appg.co.uk/inquiry/
What
The APPG said far more needs to be done to help women and offer advice, including making HRT prescriptions free on the NHS, and improving training for doctors concerning symptoms.
Its new report said: “The NHS must implement a health check for all women at the age of 45, offered in a similar way to cervical cancer smears when all women are invited to make an appointment.
The study points out the efficacy of treatment, like transdermal HRT. There is more information about that here on the NHS website, and other forms of HRT.
Of note, men and women are already offered a free NHS health check once they hit 40 but that specifically looks for early signs of hypertension, stroke risk, heart disease, or diabetes.
MyHSN thinks a new check for the menopause at 45 years could also look for these issues, and others, including: blood pressure measurement, and blood tests for diabetes, high cholesterol and chronic kidney disease. Funding and training is fundamental in this initiative, and we are keen to see what the plans are for the future.
How (does it affect you)?
If you are a man, you could argue that it doesn’t. But it does affect all women, and we are all responsible for each other. So all men (and doctors, male and female) need to take it more seriously. We know what causes it, and there are effective treatments – so let’s start treating it!
Other resources
MyHSN has an article on how do I improve my menopause?
There is more information here on Sky News, from which this article is partly based.
