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[pepperminty]

 Hi Ladies,

Feeling like a rant-


Menopause / perimenopause  is an issue that will be increasing as we live longer.
 It seems to be soooo short sighted not to tackle the lack of options with HRT before it becomes a crisis- women having to stop work due to symptoms before the increased pension age - that is happening now and will only get worse- if the issue is not addressed soon. This means that the work force will become less diverse as some women may have to retire earlier. You are lucky if you can get reasonable adjsutments at work and have a sympathetic employer.
For starters -We can have issues with progesterones- so why not increase the options, they already make Dydrogesterone, so why not make it seperately in the UK?

 Small changes like more options and better GP education would make  a monumental difference. The HRT options are being reduced in the UK, they should be increased. Surely there is a market for the pharma companies?
Joined up services are being reduced also - menopause clinics, with GUM clinics and vulval clinics etc. They should all be available together in a one stop shop.

Not addressing it now will have a knock on effect and cost the goverment more in the long run.


Peppermintyx

[Rosie63]

I totally agree with what you say here Pepperminty.  I'm one of those ladies who are suffering because the HRT I did well on for many years has been discontinued and I'm now unable to find another regime that suits me.  In a way I'm ‘lucky' because I'm in my 60's and not working BUT all the things I was looking forward to doing in retirement that I never had the time to do when I was working have been blown out of the water because I just haven't got the energy or the enthusiasm to do because I feel so ill all the time.

In my opinion the whole process is broken from not easily and quickly being able to gain access to the help we need, unless one is willing and able to pay, to not having more HRT options available to us !!

Wishing you well.

Rosie63 x

[roseandthorn]

I hear ya, Sister. I am also caught by my excellent patches being withdrawn and plan B has failed. I was chatting to two friends and colleagues last week, both of whom have research doctorates in a related area. And apparently sexism and even misogyny in the pharmacology/pharmaceutical industry is rife. The majority of drugs generally are tested on men because of the risks around using women, especially of childbearing age in the testing of new drugs. Female physiology is far less likely to be taken into account in the decision to make drugs available or not.

I remember a GP once telling me that the market for HRT was shrinking. How so?...there's a significant and growing number of us. 

[Dancinggirl]

pepperminty - you are totally on the same page as many of us on this forum. The cost of menopausal problems to society must be enormous.  The NHS could save millions with proper treatment in place and, yes, pharmaceuticals are really missing a trick - wouldn't it be great to have not just more HRT options but also some good alternatives to HRT?? 
Until somebody does a proper study on the impact of the menopause on society and the workplace I doubt anything will be done. There is still so much ignorance and indeed prejudice mixed in with all aspects of the menopause - there is still an attitude from most male doctors and sometimes women too, that we should just pull ourselves together and get on with it; doctors are far more willing to dish out ADs than actually deal with the underlying causes - and not just for the menopause either - I had to pay to get my back problems diagnosed.  We are fast becoming a nation spaced out on ADs and painkillers and the side effects of these can be pretty bad e.g. weight gain, digestive problems, withdrawal problems etc. WE rarely get to see the same GP each time so there is little or no consistancy.

When I lived in Austria and Germany, if you had a gynaecological problem you went straight to a gynaecologist - time wasn't wasted by going to a GP who tried you on 'this and that' before referring you.

I often find myself uttering Terry Wogan's phrase “is it me or has the world gone mad?”.

Oh! - isn't it good to have a Monday morning rant??

DG xxxxx

[Perinowpost]

Hear hear, agree with everything that's been said. Currently on day 7 of Utrogestan and keep having a little weep, and wondering how much longer I can go on with this.

Can't we form a group and lobby someone/somewhere? Or how about contacting the makers of dydrogesterone and seeing what their response is as a starting point? What do others think?x

[CLKD]

Despite this Forum and despite the fact that we are often told that various 'experts' in menopause are educating GPs the message simply ain't getting through!! 

Contact the manufacturers?  It won't hurt to send a short e-mail.

I haven't the energy to do any lobbying  . 

The other option is to write a book together similar to the one about me and my menopausal vagina.  3/4 sufferers putting their experiences together under specific headings: symptoms and age: GP experiences - good or bad: how many HRT is tried B4 finding something that works/doesn't .........

[Blue Kingfisher]

Couldn't agree more Pepperminty! Not only is this a disaster in terms of our future economy both in terms of the strain on the NHS & work diversity it importantly affects quality of life. Quality of life is something everyone should have fair access to improve & I would also argue that it's simply not fair that retired women (whether early or not) should suffer a lower quality of life basically because they have female hormones! Where is the planning for that in an ageing society?! This isn't a new issue!!

I agree with you that the way forward is more transparency, more options, more awareness, more accommodation & understanding of menopause impact.

I personally made it into work this morning but had to leave around 2:30pm due to foggy brain & exhaustion. My new employer (how ideal is that, NOT!) is very understanding so far but time will tell if I can find a better HRT régieme before their patience runs out.

xx

[pepperminty]

OK Ladies,

thanks for the responses. All great and all very eloquently telling it how it is.

How about we keep this thread to express our opinions on this? And perhaps we can send it to the makers of Dydrogesterone for a start! And I know Diane Danzebrink, - Make menopause matter petition ,  may be interested- she has met with an MP regarding the sorry state of things. You would have thought Teresa May being a woman would champion a change -.

Pounds and pence are unfortunately where it matters .

If we all had the email address of the company who stopped the HRT patch recently
And The one that makes Femosten etc
And any other ones relevant and sent them off an email

~They may take notice. ~

You can ignore the odd one, and write a generic reply!
But can you ignore a thousand emails? !

So If every lady on here emailed we might get some where?

Or am I being too revolutionary here?

I haven't got the energy to lobby either , but I sure have the energy to send an email of letter.

Is anyone on here good at writing emails that are to the point and what would we like to include in them?

Even if nothing comes of this we can all express our opinions.

Peppermintyx

PS this was written very quickly - so excuse typo's etc

[sheila99]

Absolutely agree. Educating GPs would be high on my list and that doesn't have to cost a lot. I can only assume TM is one of the lucky ones who sailed through it, she wouldn't be able to do the job if she felt like I did (undiagnosed peri for 2 years by 2 different GPs). Bit of a catch 22 - those who feel OK don't care, those who don't rarely have the energy to fight. But we're preaching to the converted here, the message needs to get out to the wider public.

[Perinowpost]

Definitely think we should all email the makers of dydrogesterone, as you say Pepperminty that's very doable. Does anyone know their email address?  In the meantime  I'm going off to do a bit of research and try to find it myself. I'm happy to write the email too (but not for a couple of days as currently feeling off it). Will report back x

PS poor TM don't know how she's doing that job if she's not on hrt!

[pepperminty]

Fab,Perinowpost, I will keep an eye out . We should send one to Teresa May- friend of mine is a staunch conservative - perhaps he could get it to her? She looks like she may be on the wrong dose/ type.

PMX

[Orangefoot]

I too wonder why Utrogestan is the only option when so many wines - including me - can't bear life taking it.

I lasted only one cycle before vowing never to take it again and being asked by my family not to as they couldn't believe what it did to me.

There has to be more research. Utrogestan is not designed for menopause and until more research is done a more tolerable drug won't be found.

Is any university doing menopause research? I've completed a few questionnaires but they have all been about quality of life, not medication.

[kdee69]

Definitely think we should all email the makers of dydrogesterone, as you say Pepperminty that's very doable. Does anyone know their email address?  In the meantime  I'm going off to do a bit of research and try to find it myself. I'm happy to write the email too (but not for a couple of days as currently feeling off it). Will report back x

PS poor TM don't know how she's doing that job if she's not on hrt!

Took me a while as the company that originally manufactured it got taken over twice. This is the only way of contacting them unless you want to call. Plus, think this goes to their US office but the drug looks like it's manufactured out of India. Still it's a start. 
https://www.abbott.com/contactus.html

 

[Dancinggirl]

Dydrogesterone used to be available on it's own here in the UK - I had it alongside Oestrogel for a few years back in the 1990s.   I know it is available elsewhere in the world. I think NICE must have taken it off their list for some reason!!???

Considering it is part of a combined HRT pill (Femoston) and this is well tolerated by many women, it does seem strange that it can't be made available to have alongside transdermal oestrogen.

[pepperminty]

Thanks kdee69

Found the link to UK telephone numbers for Abbotts with your post it is :  https://www.abbott.co.uk/contact.html                                                                          I will call them today and ask for an email address .

Dydrogesterone used to be available on it’s own here in the UK - I had it alongside Oestrogel for a few years back in the 1990s.   I know it is available elsewhere in the world. I think NICE must have taken it off their list for some reason!!???

Considering it is part of a combined HRT pill (Femoston) and this is well tolerated by many women, it does seem strange that it can’t be made available to have alongside transdermal oestrogen.

Yes Dancing girl, so maybe we can start something of here - the campaign to bring it back as a seperate option? I know it doesn't suit everyone but at least it is a start . If  I manage to get a contact email ! Then there is also contacting NICE -found a link and will try to get an email. Sometimes one has to have a little faith that if you get the right person at the right time someone may listen and do something. But if you don't try nothing will happen.

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg177/documents/osteoarthritis-update-stakeholder-lists-and-how-to-register2


We are information gathering at the moment, and can get all our ducks in order - so any other suggestions etc are most welcome.


PMX