Women should be offered a “menopause health check” by GPs at 40, Britain’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Menopause said last week, suggesting that the NHS incorporate questions about symptoms into midlife MOTs (Measurements, Observations, and Tests – a health check-up covering the whole body) already provided by family doctors.
A survey of 2 000 menopausal women found just 12% had been diagnosed by a health professional, with most coming to the conclusion after carrying out their own research.
Just one quarter had a positive experience discussing the matter with their GP, reports The Telegraph.
The APPG is calling for everyone to be offered a check every five years from 40 onwards, to identify those at risk of conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, and offer lifestyle advice and medication where appropriate.
The party also said the checks should be used to ask women of this age about perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms and to ensure they can get help either then or when the time comes.
The average age of menopause is 51, but many women suffer perimenopausal symptoms for years, with some saying GPs dismissed symptoms.
The APPG and campaign group Menopause Mandate have urged the country’s major parties to back their demands, which also include work to evaluate female-specific testosterone treatment so that it could be licensed.
A survey commissioned by Menopause Mandate found that 96% of menopausal women’s quality of life suffered as a result of their symptoms, and almost 50% took over a year to realise they might be peri or menopausal.
Only 12% were diagnosed by a healthcare professional, with a huge 60% discovering they might be menopausal through their own research, and only 24% having had a positive GP experience.
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