Louise: How challenges do me good
was adequate make sense”.
In a letter to Royal College chairman Professor Martin Marshall, she said: “Menopause may be included in the curriculum but it is very clear from the dreadful experiences of many thousands of women that simply being part of the curriculum is not sufficient.
“We are concerned that your comments may come across as insulting to many women who are being poorly treated, as well as to your GP colleagues.
“We are told by women on a daily basis that their GPs fail to diagnose menopause and diagnose what turn out to be psychological and cognitive symptoms of menopause as anxiety and depression,
“simply doesn’t and offer antidepressants. We also hear of women visiting their GP multiple times, sometimes over a period of years, to try to relieve a multitude of symptoms associated with menopause which are simply not recognised.”
Many women going through the change do not experience the tell-tale signs, such as hot flushes and night sweats. Instead, they can suffer a wide range of subtler symptoms, including anxiety and mood swings.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines state that hormone replacement therapy is the primary treatment for menopausal women.
But Ms Danzebrink, who provides menopause counselling to 12,500 women, said GPs too often mistake a hormonal imbalance for a mental health problem.
She has also written to Health Secretary Matt Hancock expressing her concerns.
But Prof Marshall said: “We understand the strength of feeling among women who are going through or have been through menopause, who do not feel that they have been taken
BBC Breakfast star Louise Minchin says her love of challenges keeps her grounded.
And the 51-year-old said it also eased her menopause.
Recently returned from Namibia where she completed a gruelling trek through the desert for Sport Relief, Louise said: “After every single bike ride, swim, run, I feel that the world is an easier place to be. I’m less stressed, I’m less naggy.
“Throughout the menopause as well, it’s been hugely helpful.”
The presenter is no stranger to tests of physical endurance, being a big fan of triathlons.
Speaking in today’s Radio Times, she said the money raised by her Sport Relief challenge will go to mental health charities, which has personal resonance.
“When my daughter [Mia, now 18] was born, my appendix burst six days later, which was terrifying…I was so ill.”
Nine months later she had to be treated for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. seriously – and that needs to be addressed. But GPs have the broadest curriculum of any medical speciality.
“While HRT is a safe and effective option for many women, it is not suitable for everyone, and clinical guidelines do not suggest that all, or even most, women with menopausal symptoms should be prescribed it.”