NHS removes ‘women’ from menopause advice

THE NHS has removed the word ‘woman’ from the menopause information page on its website, it emerged yesterday.

In its online overview about the menopause, the NHS previously mentioned gender-specific words six times.

The condition was described as ‘when a woman stops having periods and is no longer able to get pregnant naturally’. The web page also used to say that menopause is a ‘natural part of ageing that usually occurs between 45 and 55 years of age, as a woman’s oestrogen levels decline’. It added that ‘ most women will experience menopausal symptoms’.

But now, all mention of ‘women’ or ‘woman’ have been removed – following similar changes made to the NHS pages for ovarian, womb and cervical cancer.

The page now reads: ‘Menopause is when your periods stop due to lower hormone levels.

‘You reach menopause when you have not had a period for 12 months. Menopause and perimenopause [the transition] can have a big impact on your life, including relationships and work.

‘There are things you can do to help with symptoms.

‘There are also medicines that can replace the missing hormones and help relieve your symptoms.’

The first mention of ‘woman’ comes much later on, in a section about treatment. Last month, Health Secretary Sajid Javid condemned deletion of gender- specific terms.

He said that ‘common sense and the right language’ should be used to ‘give people the best possible care’.

In a message to patients at the time, he said: ‘ You won’t be surprised to know that, as the Health Secretary, I think that your sex matters.

‘Your biological sex is incredibly important to make sure you get the right treatment, the very best treatment.’

NHS Digital, which manages health information webpages, said the website provides information ‘for everyone’.

A spokesman said: ‘We keep the pages under continual review to ensure they use language that is inclusive, respectful and relevant to the people reading it.’

However, experts have warned that removing gender from medical advice could be dangerous for women by over- complicating important health messaging. It has been argued that those with poor language skills could find the information harder to understand.

Hormonal changes that occur during the menopause can cause a wide range of symptoms – that can sometimes be debilitating – including fatigue, hot flushes, mood changes and brain fog.

There have been huge increases in the number of women coming forward for advice or medication due to rising awareness about the condition.