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[Dr. Heather Currie]

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is developing a guideline on the menopause. This is a wonderful opportunity to push for better support for women and better education for healthcare professionals to give appropriate advice. I will be attending the first meeting in May, representing Menopause Matters. I would be very grateful for any feedback from yourselves on issues that you would like to be raised.
Many thanks
Best wishes
Heather

[lancashirelass]

i hope the guidelines will cover surgical menopause and also early as i was 40 and mine due to surgery.  without seeing a private gynae i would not have got vagifem nor been able to get enough oestrogel for  month.  gps even those who claim to have attended your seminars are very out of touch.   

[honeybun]

Anxiety.

When we asked on the forum what was one of the worst symptoms this seemed to be one of the top ones.

Honeyb
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[English Rose]

Hi Dr Currie

Thank you for this.  I think it will be very useful for doctors to have NICE guidelines to refer to on the menopause, and I hope these will be developed to apply to GPs as well as hospital consultants, as GPs are often the first port of call for women in peri-menopause and menopause.

It seems to me from reading this forum that there is a lot of disparity over the prescribing of various treatments, and it would be good to have clearer guidance, for issues like the length of time recommended for taking HRT, and guidance for various doses, both for oral and local treatments. For example the recent Vagifem dose changes which just seem to have been imposed on women by the pharmaceutical company - without reference (it would seem) to guidance from doctors and health professionals about what individual patients with VA actually need.  It seems that we are all different and have different health needs - so some flexibility in the guidelines would also be required ...maybe a big ask!.

Good luck with the meeting next month and please keep us up to date with the guideline developments on your excellent website.

Best wishes
English Rose

[Joyce]

Crashing fatigue. I know that I have suffered with this in the past, along with many others, but when visiting GP, first thing they assume is that you are depressed.

Also would be nice  if GPs could sing from same song sheet over the menopause.

Good luck Dr Currie.

[Babylon Burning]

i hope the guidelines will cover surgical menopause and also early as i was 40 and mine due to surgery.  without seeing a private gynae i would not have got vagifem nor been able to get enough oestrogel for  month.  gps even those who claim to have attended your seminars are very out of touch.

I would like to echo this.  I've just gone through surgical menopause and quite frankly my GP is clueless.  I'm having to go private to obtain topical oestrogen for VA as my GP thinks it could get better on its own.  So many women seem to be let down by the very people who should be helping them.

[Elena]

Sounds like a very good  move.  I will put my thinking hat on.

[scriv]

As a patient really suffering at the moment from the recent change in the strength of Vagifem - suddenly reduced from 25mcg twice weekly to 10mcg twice weekly - I would ask that Vaginal Atrophy and the treatment of it be raised and that the profession be aware of all the issues of this distressing uro genital condition

My pharmacist informed me that it has been discovered (by a very small sample of ladies in the USA ) that the 10mcg is as effective as the 25mcg, so so be it. Please, that is no way to treat us.

[Suzi Q]

I  will continue to say it till Im BLACK in the face
Money Money Money the lowering of the dosage has lost 175m a pak yet paks about the same price
If it was strictly medical reasons it would be less liek a small pak of anythngs less than a latge one
But its not we are the first generation of baby boomers and Post baby boomers who need Vaginal HRT
We are also post baby boomers the ones who were less likely to have been given hrt in the 90s through
Early meno or sugical and over the years Atrophy has set in
So many think as Ive said before Atrophy is just painful sex its not its the least of the symptoms
The pain the burning the throbbing day after day month after month atrophy of the tissues disolving
Leaving me with hardly any inner labias at all and with almost no clitoral hood IM almost childlike down there now
AV affects your day to day life pain wise mental wise for me it was the never ending pain plus the peeing constantly
Vagifem 25 took the pain and suction throbbing away almost from the first dose it took a few months for the wee cos I didnt trust it even now if I have to odd day I freak
In December after nearly 3 years I did a 10day reload as I felt the symptoms coming back from the end of October
It worked after 5 nights of constant use it eased 95% by Xmas it was back to normal I did 3.500klms on a Motorbike
I have check up last Feb 2012 4 seperate internals even felt my Ovatires YUK smear the lot now 2015 next one
But if I had any funny feelings or odd symptoms Id go to GP ASAP_ Im still on 25 here in Ozz we are nromally the dumping gorund for drugs that have stopped being made or given in USA or EU or UK so Im stocking up got 8pks
End dat mid 2015 I will keep buying them and keep them in cool clean draws
ITS MONEY other wise there would have been a world wide test i prosses I wonder if the Patent is coming to an end?

[pixie]

Maybe there should be clearer guidelines for health professionals regarding  irregular bleeding during the menopausal transition. My 45year old colleague had been suffering with heavy bleeding for a couple of years. In fact it was so bad, she had to wear incontinence pads. It was suggested by her GP that she that she should lose weight and have a mirena coil fitted.  However, someone at work suggested she should have a smear done, so when she went in to have the coil inserted, she asked if she could have a smear done beforehand.  It was then discovered she had cervix cancer. By the way she was still within the normal 3 year screening time, so I don't think there was concern because the last smear was ok.  I think there is a tendency  for some problems to be put down to 'time of life' which could be potentially more serious?  Luckily she had a hysterectomy and did not require any further treatment.

[Elena]

I dont know if it is the same nationwide but since I turned 50 my smear tests are down to once every FIVE years.  Is that sensible?

Agree re. VA and the reduction in the dosage of Vagifem.  Cant help but feel we need a voice in all this. 

[honeybun]

Dr Currie will be our voice I think.

At least someone is listening.

Given the fact that all women go through meno you would think that in general practice there could be more emphasis on what is available.

It's very sad that we have to do our own research and tell our GPS what we want. I can't think of one other condition that this would be necessary.

Why are we being ignored.

Honeyb
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[Suzi Q]

Easy we arent visable anymore
We cant have children we arent considered productive for society except as NANS
The old ways still persist women except for Film stars anyone over 50 shouldnt want sex
Are considered by society as a whole as old and of no use
In shops we are the last to be served people barge in front of us when 10 years ago it would have been after you!
Very few of us command societys respect we arent Lawyers Doctors Surgeons Solicitors Architecs
Most wome even today have normal day to day jobs normal day to day lives with no big paycheck no smashing carrear
We are the back bone and the spine of society yet we are considerd less than a 16 year old sad but I think true

[pixie]

Dexa scans!   We have a family history of osteoporosis.  My sister wouldn't have had her scan unless I plushed her to do it, because both of them thought it was highly unlikely (herself and her GP), because of her very good health otherwise, hardly any menopausal symptoms and she walks to work each day, no fractures. She was very shocked to discovered she has this long-term condition but now on calcium supplements etc, so hopefully won't be as bad as mum and will prevent some of the problems when shes old.

[grumpyandIknowit]

Anxiety, panic attacks, fear of everything, growing old, dying suddenly, COPING - all of these don't seem to be taken into account - but they should be, especially if you knew you were fine before the Menopause started. If we didn't have this Forum - goodness knows how we would cope! Hats off to all the women before us who had nowt..............