It's a pity that thread was removed because it's good to have reviews on consultants both positive and negative. As I said before, my experience with Professor Studd was extremely positive and life changing but I appreciate others have had different experiences and we must hear about those too.
Some interesting points have come up on this thread. The NHS is under immense strain and there is no sign of that changing any time soon. Successive governments have politicised it and used it like a political football, ploughing money into it but from what I can see, it is not fit for purpose, needs even more money and/or something needs to radically change. Is it sustainable in its current form? Is it just about money? Where has it gone wrong? It raises more questions than answers. Politicians of all political colours are terrified of the NHS because they have failed to fix the underlying problems added to which, the UK is heading into extremely difficult and turbulent times now and if anything there will be less money for public services not more as was promised. We are now told the NHS has the added problem of staff shortages with EU nationals returning home and they will somehow have to plug that gap, God knows how.
Perhaps they need to look at healthcare models in other EU states and try and change to something like the French, German or Spanish model. In Spain you can consult a well qualified and regulated pharmacist for minor illnesses and buy medication over the counter which takes the pressure off surgeries and avoids the patient having to wait weeks for an appointment. For example, you can have a urine test and get medication for urinary tract infections which is very helpful. Obviously you can get simple things like blood pressure and cholesterol checked too. The UK could look at adopting a similar system to take the pressure off GPs.
As far as this forum and treating the menopause is concerned, this goes some way to explaining the problems we face, underfunding, lack of resources and lack of ongoing education and training for GPs. The two most debated subjects on here are directly linked to that i.e. GPs not being clued up on HRT and the massive problem of progesterone intolerance and uterine scans not being offered routinely like mammograms. Uterine scans are important not just for womb lining measurement but for all sorts of other gynaecological conditions that need to be monitored.
Against this kind of backdrop, it's hard to imagine the situation will improve and that menopause clinics are suddenly going to spring up all over the country. The ones that are currently running are oversubscribed and there seem to be long waiting lists. Most of the women on here need help now and don't want to have to wait weeks for an appointment. In an ideal world, the pressure should be taken away from GPs and menopausal women should attend a dedicated menopause clinic with access to uterine scans, mammograms, breast scans, bone scans and the best type of HRT for their particular needs which is not necessarily the cheapest. I sometimes wonder if the NHS try women out on the cheaper HRT brands first and only offer the more expensive stuff if that fails. It should be driven by the woman's needs, not costs.
We are where we are and not necessarily where we want to be so my advice remains the same, if you can afford private menopause treatment then go for it. It's worth remembering too that if you seek treatment privately you are freeing up a place for women who want to use the NHS.
