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[Aubrey]

Be careful of scaremongering Aubrey, you’ve just said in your post, HRT can cause cancer. This is a public forum.

Hi Nas, I'm not scaremongering, I'm stating a fact we all know, which is why we're on here trying to get it right. Panorama is scaremongering and could lead to many women coming off their HRT regime for no good reason.

[Ayesha]

I am more angry with Louise Newson for not putting up a fight, she really should have appeared in the programme to put up a defence.
As someone said here, why wait and give an interview to a newspaper, her reputation is in tatters.

The position statement I often quote and copy on here has been invaluable to me and others in understanding GSM headed by Louise Newson and other eminent people in their field. Fortunately, there is no controversary regarding topical VA treatment relating to the dosage, my own surgery agreeing with how I am managing my GSM. But I did have second thoughts on whether I should continue posting the links to the Position Statement simply because it has Louise Newson's name at the top of the page.

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

The Panorama programme also suggested that women attending private clinics do not always get the best after care if things go wrong.

 In my own case I felt let down because the doctors I saw at Newson Health had no explanation for why I wasn't responding as they expected.  They also seemed relaxed about all the bleeding I was having on a high dose. Eventually I came to the conclusion that the doctors I saw there weren't the experts I believed them to be.

I have since seen an NHS consultant who recommended the lowest dose I could manage as, in his thirty years experience ' less is more'.  I am now on the equivalent of a 50 mg patch and still having issues but I will see my Nurse Practitioner who runs the menopause clinic at my GP surgery. She has in the past arranged a scan and blood tests for me and now wants to monitor my progress.

My experience with Newson Health may have been different because I was a long way into post menopause when I became a patient, perhaps they are more used to prescribing for peri menopause women?

I still think there is a place for the private clinics and they are needed due to the dire state of the NHS.  Our reproductive system can cause a variety of problems over our lifetimes so why not have a  variety of care available to us.

Wishing you all well ladies.

K.

[sheila99]

I think LN was right not to appear on panorama even if she was invited. It was a hatchet job with biased selection of patients, they weren't interested in her opinion or in putting forward balanced views. Perhaps she'll appear on tv next week with an opportunity to put forward her side. It may end up backfiring on the bms as it becomes more obvious how many women are getting inadequate treatment from the NHS. LN wouldn't have a business if everyone received good treatment on the nhs. I hadn't realised the bms was behind the cqc investigation.
  I also think LN could help herself. She could insist that higher doses are prescribed either where there are blood tests to prove poor absorption or the patient has an annual scan that they pay for to show it's safe.
  And perhaps some recognition that there are some patients that the medical profession just doesn't know how to treat.

[Seasidegirl]

I'm not angry at LN  I think she was in a godawful position.  The BBC were likely not giving her any control or assurance about how her content would be used.   

I also wonder whether,  even if she was given patient consent to talk about individual cases,  she perhaps felt that it was inappropriate.   Good doctors have high ethical standards and whilst the BBC were happy to arguably use them as they did (vague descriptions etc), maybe LN thought it wasn't appropriate?  Maybe he insurers told her not to. 

From what I see tends to avoid criticising the NHS and certainly those that work hard within it. 

I don't think her reputation is in tatters.  I see that there are many woman and medics supporting her.   I'd really like to see Mariella, Davina et al pick this up and move forward a sensible debate about how meno care/ womans health care generally can be improved

I fear though that we are already seeing the ripples in terms of womans fear and confusion re HRT treatment, that's really worrying

[dangermouse]

Another couple of articles have appeared on Mail Online re more patient complaints from Newson Clinic but the one titled
“Doctors fear women are encouraging each other on social media to take dangerously high amounts of HRT drugs” definitely has quotes from this forum on it!

[Seasidegirl]

Another couple of articles have appeared on Mail Online re more patient complaints from Newson Clinic but the one titled
“Doctors fear women are encouraging each other on social media to take dangerously high amounts of HRT drugs” definitely has quotes from this forum on it!

Yup and we flog it in the changing rooms like anabolic steroids 🙄😱

I've got some spare progesterone if anyone wants to buy it no questions asked....🤣

[CrispyChick]

That's interesting Dangermouse. I've often thought people can say whatever they want on this forum - which is great free speech. But, as it seems linked to the BMS (think someone posted that in relation to LN being asked to take hers down) I often wonder how many woman take what they see as gospel.

I, for one, am disappointed that there is never any 'expert' opinion added on threads, despite the forum being endorsed by a meno doc and the BMS.

It literally runs the same as all the FB groups where people run off at all angles about doses and anecdotal experience.

For this reason, I can't really see why the BMS were concerned with LN setting up her own. They offer nothing on this one. 

[CLKD]

I haven't read anything about Panorama programme in the 'letters pages' of the daily media.  I won't prescribe to on line ....... which probably says something about how the media have reacted?

[Minusminnie]

Another couple of articles have appeared on Mail Online re more patient complaints from Newson Clinic but the one titled
“Doctors fear women are encouraging each other on social media to take dangerously high amounts of HRT drugs” definitely has quotes from this forum on it!

I’ve just found the one title that you mention & it was published in August 2023 with 7 comments so seems to have gone under the radar at the time.

If Newsom private patients agreed now might be a chance to gather some research data.

[Kathleen]

Hello again Ladies.

CrispyChick -  It would be great if MM could benefit from the active support of meno specialists and the BMS.

I don't subscribe to meno Facebook groups but clearly there are a lot of women seeking help and some of them are being misinformed.  'Nature Abhors a Vacuum ' as they say so it is no surprise that we rely on each other when we are struggling.

Take care ladies.

K.

[dangermouse]

Ah right, there was a huge link in the other article, so I assumed it was also new.

Yes, Crispy, LN said in her interview that the BMS told her that as we already have Menopause Matters, why would we need another website.

We are certainly left to get on with it here and, as the doctor who runs it is a witness for the prosecution, there will not be any expert opinions shared here, although there may be a statement on the main part of the website.

I guess that one of differences between a medic recommending something and a user doing it, is that the latter is coming from a place of personal experience and will, passionately and well-intentionally, want the other person to feel better. The medic has to take the emotion out and stick to regulations and/or take suitable mitigating steps when going off-licence. They also have to be the one legally responsible when signing off on prescriptions.

Separate from her patients who have complained about the service they have received, I don't think that the NHS clinicians who are complaining are concerned in a 'Doctor Death' way, where they feel that her ego is damaging her patients and wanting her struck off. Their angst is that she is going on TV and radio, fuelling women to demand high doses (just on the basis that they are not yet feeling better) that they have to then argue against, as they may not have the resources to manage the risk.

[fiftyplus]

I, for one, am disappointed that there is never any 'expert' opinion added on threads, despite the forum being endorsed by a meno doc and the BMS.

/quote]

Me too - I agree with you

[fiftyplus]

Hello again Ladies.

CrispyChick -  It would be great if MM could benefit from the active support of meno specialists and the BMS.

I don't subscribe to meno Facebook groups but clearly there are a lot of women seeking help and some of them are being misinformed.  'Nature Abhors a Vacuum ' as they say so it is no surprise that we rely on each other when we are struggling.

Take care ladies.

K.

I don't do facebook either and yes it would be very helpful if MM could benefit from the active support of meno specialists and the the BMS.

[laszla]

We are certainly left to get on with it here and, as the doctor who runs it is a witness for the prosecution, there will not be any expert opinions shared here, although there may be a statement on the main part of the website.

Even bearing in mind that tv editing can be distorting, I was shocked and disappointed by the 'witness for the prosecution' and am glad someone has pointed this out.