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[Emma]

NICE ISSUES FIRST GUIDELINE ON MENOPAUSE - 12 Nov 2015
(National Institute for Health and Care Excellence - NICE)

Today sees the launch of the NICE Guideline on the diagnosis and management of the menopause. It will play an important role in raising awareness of all menopausal symptoms and in encouraging women to consider lifestyle changes to improve later health. The Guideline should also clarify uncertainty - both for women and for healthcare professionals - around both prescribed and non-prescribed treatment options.

• A copy of the NICE Guideline press release is available » here
• A copy of the joint RCOG and BMS response to the Guideline is available » here
• The Guideline is available at https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG23
• The Information for Patients version is available at http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23/informationforpublic

[Emma]

Press coverage of the NICE menopause guidelines:

• https://www.nice.org.uk/news/article/women-with-symptoms-of-menopause-should-not-suffer-in-silence
• http://www.itv.com/news/2015-11-12/new-guidelines-could-see-more-women-using-hormone-replacement-therapy
• http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/health-watchdog-rules-hundreds-thousands-6815080
• http://www.webmd.boots.com/menopause/news/20151112/nice-issues-new-menopause-guidelines
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34779126
• http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/doctors-urged-to-prescribe-hrt-menopause-treatment-despite-cancer-risks-a6730906.html
• http://www.aol.co.uk/2015/11/12/more-menopausal-women-may-be-offered-hrt-under-new-guidelines/
• https://uk.news.yahoo.com/more-menopausal-women-may-offered-hrt-under-guidelines-001322458.html#IULmwPp

[Hurdity]

Thanks for posting all this information Emma all in one place and especially the press coverage 

It's great that all the media is covering this and hopefully this means a few GPs will listen too!

Hurdity x

[Dorothy]

I heard a comment on the radio today along the lines of 'GPs will find this helpful as many are confused by the menopause'  Really?!!!!  Not sure that's breaking news to any of us here!

[Briony]

I liked the fact that some of the media has referred to this site in the press coverage (in a positive way) 

[Mary G]

Does this mean they are starting to listen!  These new guidelines prove that Professor John Studd was right all along and they actually admitted that bio identical transdermal HRT is virtually risk free.  It's disappointing that bio identical progesterone didn't get a mention and they could have taken the opportunity to licence Utrogestan to be taken vaginally. 

[Joyce]

I'll be interested to see what GP says when I next have check up. Section 1:4:3 states about not using certain meds as first line treatment. That should make for interesting consult.

[Mary G]

Just seen Professor Studd on ITV News at Ten!  Glad This story has made the mainstream TV news but nothing on the BBC tonight.

[Hurdity]

I couldn't believe nothing on BBC 10 o'clock news!!!!

Nevermindcheese - what are your worries? Don't take any notice of your friends. A very good friend of mine warned me off it - said it was all made from horse pee (but it was in her day) - but so glad I researched it for myself

Hurdity x

[ellie66]

See appalling comments from GP's about the NICE guidelines here http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/clinical/more-clinical-areas/womens-health/nice-urges-gps-to-overcome-reluctance-to-offer-hrt-in-menopausal-women/20030415.article GP's still are not getting. It would be helpful if people could comment to set these GP's straight.

[jorainbow]

Tad confused about Section 1.2.1

1.2 Diagnosis of perimenopause and menopause

1.2.1Diagnose the following without laboratory tests in otherwise healthy women aged over 45 years with menopausal symptoms:

perimenopause based on vasomotor symptoms and irregular periods

I have neither. Just the beginnings of VA, palpitations, mood swings, increased anxiety, joint pains and tiredness. Oops forgot forgetfulness.  So can't be perimenopause then??? 😯😯😯

[dazned]

So judging from reading all the GPS comments at the end of article as I thought some GPS will and can still refuse to perscribe hrt,as one of GPS told me in a heated 30minute appointment!which I took my husband to,ultimately it is his signature on the prescription and ultimately his responsibility for my health ! Reading some of the comments I can see some are concerned about malpractice suits ie the Michael Jackson case was mentioned,seems like are getting more and more like the States and not in a good way 

[Maryjane]

My GP said we all need to calm down about HRT and take it if needed.......it will just have those that can afford it going privately to the likes of Dr Annie Evans Nick Panay etc......so does that mean GPs don't give out drugs for MS/ chronic pain etc as some of the side effects of those drugs are dreadful in some cases.

[Mary G]

Ellie66, thanks for the link.  There are some really clueless comments on there and I find it deeply worrying that so many GPs still don't understand that transdermal, bio identical oestrogen USED WITH BIO IDENTICAL PROGESTERONE cannot be compared to old school, oral HRT preparations that may contain bio identical oestrogens but nearly always contain heavy duty synthetic progestins.  All risk factors are connected to the synthetic progestins and oral HRT, not transdermal, bio identical oestrogens used with bio identical progesterone.  Even tablet forms of bio identical oestrogen only HRT are slightly more risky than transdermal preparations.  What part of that is difficult to understand.  Why are they banging on about risk elements when they can virtually eradicate the risk by prescribing the right stuff.  I despair.

[Greenfields]

Just thought I'd post here an opinion piece by Janet Street Porter (she's in favour of HRT):

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/my-body-has-become-a-battleground-for-medical-research-and-i-m-sick-of-it-a6733866.html

I've been doing a fair amount of research on menopause and depression since I got felled by it in March (but am a lot better now and HRT has definitely been key). 

I think the link between menopause and psychiatric disorders is woefully under reported in the media/mainstream press. 

From what I've read of the medical literature so far, there seems to be a link between vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes) and depression at menopause although researchers haven't figured out which comes first i.e. whether the hot flashes cause depression or whether depression causes the hot flashes to intensify - but either way there is a link between the two and that in itself is linked to the hormonal changes women are subject to at menopause.

There is currently a really interesting Australian study looking at providing women with information and tools to help them through this transition - I don't have the reference to hand as I write - but when I read it, I thought this is so common sense and should be done everywhere.

Edit: Here's the link to the Australian study: http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1745-6215-15-312.pdf

I had a lot of the risk factors for vulnerability to depression at menopause - I just didn't realise I had because nobody had told me it was a possibility.  If I had known, I would have taken extra care.  For example if you have a familial history of depression (even if you yourself haven't had it before) you are more at risk of depression at menopause).

Gotta go because Costa are going to throw me out as they are closing for the evening! Am using their wifi! But suffice to say there is much more that could be done to help women ease through this transition - starting with useful information in advance of it happening!