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[Hurdity]

The findings of their latest survey have been presented at their annual conference which is taking place now!

"Findings presented at our annual conference today show only half of women surveyed in Great Britain (who are currently experiencing or who have experienced menopausal symptoms within the past ten years) consult a healthcare professional for any of their menopause symptoms.

The new survey conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the BMS has revealed that one in two women in Great Britain (aged 45-65 who are currently experiencing or who have experienced menopausal symptoms within the past ten years) go through the menopause without consulting a healthcare professional. This is despite women surveyed reporting on average seven different symptoms and 42% saying their symptoms were worse or much worse than expected.

Today, more than 200 leading women's health experts will gather from around the world at the BMS's annual conference to discuss recent advances in menopause research, and the impact of the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on addressing the often overlooked needs of women experiencing the menopause.

It was hoped that the recently published NICE guideline on the diagnosis and management of the menopause would encourage more women to seek help and access to safe and effective treatments. Worryingly however, only 3% of those surveyed had heard of the guideline."

http://thebms.org.uk/2016/05/women-suffering-silence-new-bms-survey-puts-spotlight-significant-impact-menopause/

Check out their press release yesterday:

http://thebms.org.uk/_wprs/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/FINAL_BMS-2016-Annual-Conference_Press-Release_060516.pdf

Let's hope that the increasing publicity about this and the NICE Guidelines will herald the start of a new phase in women being able both to talk about menopause and receive the most appropriate treatment based on an up-to-date informed decision....

Hurdity x
Feeling optimistic

[Dancinggirl]

All good news - thanks Hurdity. 
I know the gynae I am seeing privately is doing talks and conferences to get GPs up to speed.
Women really need to be educated about their options so the more info out there the better.  DG x

[clare663]

iM ONE OF THE 42% WHO HAS FOUND THE SYMPTOMS MUCH WORSE THAN EXPECTED. WHY DO WE NOT TALK ABOUT THE MENOPAUSE, ITS LIKE A TABOO SUBJECT!! PERIODS, PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH AND SEX ARE DISCUSSED ON A REGULAR BASIS BUT MENTION THE MENOPAUSE AND EVERYONE CLAMS UP!!!

[Kathleen]

Hello Hurdity and thanks for posting this.

I am conducting a one woman crusade to talk about the menopause at every opportunity.  I know it bores my husband but I don't care!

Wishing everyone well.

K.

[Dandelion]

I need 100mcg of evorel, there is no way I could go through life without my evorel.
they have improved my moods, the menopausal element of my bad moods, but I am also receiving treatment from a CPN and going to see a shrink, cos they ran out of funding before they could finish my ADHD assessment.
If I wasn't on hrt, I just wouldnt be able to get out of bed, full stop, they have  helped me so much, but my doc wants me off them when i get to 55.
I told her that surely its my body and I should be able to decide if I want to stay on hrt.
My counsellor is in her 70's, she never got hrt, but she still gets bad hot flushes even now, mad isn't it.
I heard of one woman, might have been on here, or some other meno site, her doc forced her off hrt, and it took so long for her to get back on it that in the meantime, she had a prolapse and had to have a hysterectomy.
That scares me, I know many women go without oestrogen, but we were never meant by nature to live so long, so to me, women should be allowed oestrogen till the day they die, if they choose.
Takng oestrogen for the rest of my life would give me peace of mind. Oestrogen protects the heart. I have heart disease in my family. My Dad and his Dad had heart attacks. I would rather arm myself with oestrogen to minimize risk of heart attacks.
My mum had a surgical menopause and felt horrible flushes and anxiety till they put her on premarin, which took away her flushes and anxiety, and after 5yrs she went onto starflower oil.
I remember my poor mum, before she went on hrt though, she was so anxoius I had to go to the shops with her and would link her arm, as it helped her.
I hope I am not one of those women who flush for years.
My friend started flushes at 40yrs of age, she is now 53 and still gets them, if she tries to comem off hrt, cos some women like to experiment without to see how they go, but her flushes came back with avengence and that was after thirteen years. Luckilly her doc will let her stay on hrt.
If my doc tries to take me off hrt, I will pay for dr curry to email me to say its ok for me to stay on, which I find very helpful of Dr Currie, but I resent having to pay £25 for an email, not because of Dr Currie, as she needs to charge, I resent it, cos my docs should give me the choice as its my body.

[Dandelion]

iM ONE OF THE 42% WHO HAS FOUND THE SYMPTOMS MUCH WORSE THAN EXPECTED. WHY DO WE NOT TALK ABOUT THE MENOPAUSE, ITS LIKE A TABOO SUBJECT!! PERIODS, PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH AND SEX ARE DISCUSSED ON A REGULAR BASIS BUT MENTION THE MENOPAUSE AND EVERYONE CLAMS UP!!!

I think it's because most women get through it ok without hrt, and the ones who suffer loads are not really understood as most women cannot imagine having to change the sheets and nightclothes loads of times or how hot the flushes can get.
I used to come on here a lot, but most women I know of my age and older had no problems with it, except maybe a year of flushing which they could manage.
I don't like taboos, I dont believe in them, I talk about it.
Taboos should be consigned to the history books.

[Hurdity]

Dandelion - if you read the link the survey showed that actually a staggering 80% of women (surveyed) experience symptoms. Clare663 - if the 42% is typical I was one of those too - ie found the symptoms much worse than expected and was totally unaware of the effect of oestrogen deficiency on libido, vaginal dryness, oesteoporosis.

Hurdity x

[Mary G]

I think the whole thing needs a serious revamp and that Menopause Clinics should become a natural progression from Family Planning Clinics.  All things menopause (no pun intended) should be hived off to Menopause Clinics with well trained doctors who specialise in the menopause and HRT.  There is a definite overlap between the two services with women using the BCP and Mirena coils for birth control and vice versa.  It would make the transition much smoother and women could very easily pass from one clinic to the other - they should also be able to carry out blood tests and uterine scans.  Most importantly, women would be getting the specialist care they so desperately need. 

HRT should not only be offered for symptom control either, it should be used as a preventative medicine to protect women from the ravages of oestrogen deprivation in later life.  At present, there is far to much emphasis on short term symptoms and many women think they have got through the menopause with ease only to realise (usually too late) that the early part of the menopause is the thin end of a very big wedge. 

This part of medicine needs to be revolutionised and available to all women.

[Dana]

My meno symptoms were certainly worse than I expected too. I was always lead to believe it was just hot flushes. If that's all it was I could cope with it, but absolutely no one ever told me that the insomnia (and associated anxiety and depression) were so debilitating that I would be contemplating suicide. Even now when I tell people that's my worst symptom (and can still show its ugly head sometimes) they look surprised, like I'm some kind of freak, or I'm exaggerating.

[babyjane]

Well you are not Dana.  I can still remember how wretched the insomnia made me feel.  Constant lack of sleep and interrupted sleep affects every aspect of how you feel.

[Tempest]

Thank you for sharing Hurdity! What we REALLY need right now is a comprehensive education programme for GP's and mental health services so that they can recognise the symptoms of menopause and treat it appropriately! Hopefully there will be some kind of move toward this soon!

[Hurdity]

I have linked to this before but the NICE Guidelines make a number of suggestions for local health services to review and redesign local provision for menopause support: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23/chapter/Menopause-implementation-getting-started#the-challenge-providing-enough-specialist-services

It will be interesting to hear any new initiatives that come out of the BMS conference. I agree Mary G - that FPCs could be a starting point in the early peri-stages but there also needs to be well women clinics and many more specialist menopause clinics everywhere. For example here in the SW at my practice there isn't a family planning clinic as such - well there wasn't when I used it - I just went to see the female GP with gynae speciality. There are also no NHS menopause clinics anywhere near here and only one in the whole of the SW Peninsula - and that is in W Cornwall!!

Hurdity x

[Tempest]

I agree, Dana! The psychological symptoms are by far the worst. What's alarming is how many women of a certain age are being referred on to mental health services and diagnosed with anxiety and depression INSTEAD of menopause being factored into the equation. I was bunted off to our local CMHT as my GP said 'I couldn't possibly be in menopause', despite previously having a hysterectomy at 36 (I was 44 when things started falling apart). I met loads of ladies just like me, none of whom knew what the hell was happening to them and had been sent there by their GP's as often they failed to respond to anti-depressants as well as their GP's had hoped. Well, go figure!

[grumpyjane]

This is very interesting.
I too naively imagined menopause would be a few years of hot flushes then back to normal. And I consider myself a reasonably up to date and educated woman! There is nothing out there unless you are specifically looking for it. I only found this site a few months ago when I finally realised I couldn´t carry on as i was - after 9 years of gradually increasing - and worse than expected - symptoms. Started hrt aged 58 (5 months ago) but probably should have sooner. Another victim of lack of information. 
Let´s get on our soapboxes!!
Jx

[clare663]

Well if it wasnt for this site I would have thought I was going mad!! Ok so I got the hot flushes and night sweats but I also went right off sex. I had a new partner and felt like (and still do) that I just give in cos its not fair on him!!! When in the act I love it but I have absolutely no urge! The HRT (only 4 weeks in) have lifted my mood, lessened the anxiety, helped me sleep but I still dont want sex!! Something needs to be done to let ladies know they are not going mad and it is just menopausal symptoms that can be helped to a certain degree. Why suffer in silence!!!