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[Perinowpost]

Ladybt28 no they had a professional expert in, she was really good and knew her stuff + she had been through menopause herself. 

Sorry CKLD what do mean by being informative? If you mean could we share, then yes we could share as much or as little of our own experience as we wanted - it was a safe space attended by women of a certain age x

[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

I agree that it's scandalous that GPs are so ill informed. One female doctor told me she was an expert because she had written about it twenty five years ago.  I discovered that she hadn't kept up to speed because she knew nothing about current treatments.

 The first GP to mention the menopause to me was my regular doctor who asked  if I was having hot flushes or night sweats and if I needed help he would be happy to prescribe it. I was forty nine at the time, was still having regular periods and hadn't had any symptoms of the menopause so mention of it was quite a shock. I bought a book on the subject and later disccovered this forum and the rest is history! I found out that his wife had suffered the menopause from hell and he had struggled to get her HRT right which possibly explains why he was so sympathetic and knowledgeable.  It shouldn't require personal experience of a condition to get the right help but that appears to be what's happening. All very sad and frustrating.

Wishing everyone well.

K.

[CLKD]

Yep Perinowpost - did you share ;-)

[Wrensong]

Kathleen, the personal experience aspect explains a lot I think, but not only medics' experiences of their own menopause or those of women close to them, the wider life experience that shapes our individual judgement.  My male Endo is one of the most sympathetic pro-HRT medics I've ever met, but I imagine he has many middle aged women going in who need it so he will be more confident in prescribing than some GPs who were around for the years when hardly anyone asked for it, having been put off by the 2 big, now discredited studies that did so much damage to HRT's reputation. 

A female GP I knew who was middle aged, often sat rednecked with a fan on her desk & door propped open, told me she didn't approve of HRT.  Although a pretty tough cookie, she was very kind, I got on well with her & she supported my taking HRT - but explained her horror of it was through having to deal with patients "coming in with breast cancer".  I had a lot of sympathy with her position - she simply wanted to do her patients no harm & so I appreciated it when she was open-minded enough to say HRT may be just what you need, despite my family history of BC.  Nevertheless I didn't push her to prescribe it initially, as I knew she was uncomfortable about it - I went to 2 consultants, a Menopause specialist Gynae & an Endo for their opinion & both felt it was right for me.  I did find it surprising that she seemed not to have learned much about HRT - she once said I knew more about it than she did!  I wondered whether this was deliberate avoidance as she was so uncomfortable with it, or whether she was simply too overloaded that she never had the time.  As she was the only female GP in the practice I imagine most female patients went to her for gynae issues, so that she didn't seem to feel it necessary to become well informed about HRT seems all the more surprising. 

I hope that with the publication of the Avrum Bluming book & as the knowledge spreads (albeit frustratingly slowly) that the old damning studies were so flawed, more GPs will have the confidence to learn about it & prescribe when appropriate.  Just feel it needs a turnaround far quicker than has happened to date & ideally that it should be compulsory for all GPs to attend up to date courses on it.

[Perinowpost]

I've got to say my GP's are very well informed, it's a practice with males/females younger and older  and all have given me everything I've ever asked for. It does seem to be a bit of a lottery depending on where you live.

CKLD only a little bit, i tend to sit back and take it all in when I'm in a group. Having said that she was spot on in everything she said x

[Sheanie]

CKLD, depression is a symptom of perimenopause, and as Ladybt28 said, anytime a woman in her 40s or 50s says to a GP that she's suffering from depression, anxiety, exhaustion.... they ought to be considering the possibility it's due to declining hormones and that HRT is a better solution that anti-depressants. Louise Newton has written something on her website about how many women who need HRT are being prescribed anti-depressants https://www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/menopause/women-need-hrt-not-antidepressants.

[Countrygirl]

I went to my gp at 47 suffering with dark thoughts, severe anxiety, insomnia, spotting and exhaustion and even asked if it could be the menopause, to be told i was too young and it was probably just my anxiety and anti d's were the answer x

[Wrensong]

Countrygirl - the first GP I went to asking the same - could it be menopause, lost his temper & shouted at me that I had years to go before that, despite my telling him my mum had been postmenopause at 46 & I was 44 with many classic symptoms.  He was wrong - it was perimenopause, but his shameful attitude & demeanour made me doubt my intuition at a time when symptoms were really scary, not least due to their similarity to being overtreated on the Thyroxine I'd been on for many years & that scenario being potentially damaging to heart & bones long term.  Sends my pulse racing just thinking about him, though it's many years on from that consultation.

[Cassie]

I see a private gynae who is well into the late 60s and informed me that most of her patients are on hrt still and that it is totally fine to use Utrogestan vaginally, I cannot swallow the capsules so have no choice and been using it this way for over 10 yrs.

[CLKD]

With success Cassie?

I fired up the charabanc last night but no one turned up   

[Cassie]

Absolutely CLKD, would not have it any other way.

[CLKD]

That's good!  Put foot down with firm hand 

[Tc]

I've had a thought. Do you think some docs are so offhand with us about HRT because they think menopause is a "natural" thing and that we are all trying to fight off time.
Im minded of a conversation with my gynae 2 weeks after ovary removal when I asked for HRT. She seemed to think it wasnt necessary because I was 53. I said "I'm in surgical menopause" and she said " well it wouldve happened soon anyway,  At your age it's not realy necessary to replace what you have lost you have to accept it's happened at some point".

At the time I was in no mood to argue with her but I also didnt know anything about HRT or menopause at that time. I joined the forum a couple of weeks later. If I'd known then what I know now I seriously think I wouldve blown a fuse at her saying that.

I've not seen a single medical professional who was anywhere near the age of menopause. But that's no excuse. They dont have to have personal experience of every condition they treat but what they shouldnt do is let their personal prejudices and opinions come into it.

By contrast. The womens physio I saw today who is a bit older than me said "menopause is shit isnt it?". I thought " I like you already".

[CLKD]

'natural' isn't necessary good though: fox gloves are 'natural'  and so is cyanide.

[Wrensong]

Tc, I had a BSO 5+ years postmenopause when no longer on systemic HRT.  Gynae said it would make no difference as I was already postmenopause - she was wrong!  I suspect they were still churning out a little while I still had them, as there have been definite & very unwelcome changes in the following year.