Stop treating menopause like a disease, experts urge

THE menopause is being over- medicalised and treated ‘ like a disease’ rather than a natural part of ageing, according to researchers.

The UK is among a number of high-income countries in the grip of a ‘cultural moment’ that overemphasises women’s negative experiences, they said.

The effect is that it is increasingly considered a hormone-deficiency disorder with long-term health risks best managed by HRT.

Yet the researchers insisted that many issues attributed to menopause could simply be a result of ageing. Changes in mood, brain function and sexual problems could be caused, or worsened, by stressful life events, such as at work or caring for elderly relatives.

Writing in the Lancet, they suggested women are given the ‘knowledge, confidence and selfdetermination to manage their health’, while doctors should offer alternative treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy and hypnosis. The researchers said that while HRT has been shown to improve sleep, memory and concentration for women with hot flushes, it is ‘unlikely to have any effect’ in those who do not have them. And while it cuts the risk of bone fractures, evidence shows these benefits can dwindle five years after HRT is stopped.

If women do want HRT, the experts said medics should provide ‘realistic information about the likely effects of treatment’. A second paper found no evidence of an increased risk of mental health disorders for menopausal women. ‘We found no compelling evidence that risk of anxiety, bipolar disorder, or psychosis is universally elevated over the menopause transition,’ the team said.

Co-author of the series Professor Martha Hickey, from the University of Melbourne and Royal Women’s Hospital, said her team was arguing that ‘menopause is not a disease’. She added: ‘The misconception it is always a medical issue which consistently heralds a decline in physical and mental health should be challenged.’

But specialist Dr Louise Newson said: ‘Menopause is a cardiometabolic and inflammatory condition which leads to an increased risk of numerous diseases.’