The need to improve Australian menopause care
There’s a problem in Australian healthcare – despite affecting roughly half the population, the risks and symptoms of menopause are largely misunderstood, and effective, affordable opportunities to treat them are missed. Many women are bearing a needless burden of hot flushes and night sweats, low wellbeing, anxiety, depressive symptoms, disturbed sleep, and running the risk of bone fragility. We need to do better.
In this MJA Perspective, leading Endocrinologist and women’s health researcher Professor Susan Davis AO joins Tasmanian General Practitioner and women’s health advocate Dr Karen Magraith in drawing attention to the shortcomings around menopause care in Australian primary healthcare, arguing for increased education and support for GPs to provide evidence-based care to women, and for more research to inform policy and practice.
Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and non-hormonal treatments that are proven safe and effective against menopausal symptoms are readily available. Yet there remains a pervasive mistrust of these treatments among clinicians and women alike, and an over-reliance on unproven complementary treatments.
- 85% of Australian women with bothersome symptoms are not on effective, approved therapies
- 50% of post-menopausal women have vulvovaginal symptoms such as dryness, burning or urinary issues, yet only 7% are prescribed effective, safe oestrogen therapy.
- Menopause causes accelerated bone loss, setting the stage for osteoporosis and increased bone fractures, yet prescription of MHT to combat this is under-utilised.
Read more to learn about current and emerging treatment options to manage the transition to menopause, and menopause itself, and how clinicians can better support women’s physical, mental and sexual health, and their quality of life through one of life’s great changes.
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