Menopause Services
Dr Shade Agboola, Director of Public Health will provide a presentation to the Committee on menopause services in Warwickshire.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Committee received a presentation from Dr Shade Agboola, Director of Public Health. The presentation covered the following areas:
• Background/context outlining the request from the Committee’s Chair
• There is a lack of visibility of the services provided. What services are provided across Warwickshire and are the services equitable across the whole County, or do they vary for each ‘place’?
• What are the access arrangements? Are services provided at times convenient for women who work?
• Anecdotal feedback from a constituent told by her GP that she would not receive treatment until one year from her last menstrual cycle. When should services be available and how easy is it for women to get a referral? Does this vary for each GP/ area?
• There is an education piece. Schools educate on puberty and many aspects of the reproductive cycle. Should this include reference to the menopause?
• Are there triage arrangements to other services where required, such as CWPT for psychological impacts of the menopause?
• What roles do Public Health provide in regard to menopause services?
• Why important
• The menopause is caused by a change in the balance of the body's sex hormones, which occurs as women get older
• It’s a natural part of aging in women
• It happens when the ovaries stop producing as much of the hormone oestrogen and no longer release an egg each month
• Menopausal symptoms can begin months or even years before periods stop and last around 4 years after last period, although some women experience them for much longer
• Symptoms
• Most women will experience menopausal symptoms. Some of these can be quite severe and have a significant impact on everyday activities
• Common symptoms
• When to see a GP
• Troubling symptoms or symptoms of menopause before 45 years of age
• Can confirm if menopausal based on symptoms, but a blood test to measure hormone levels may be carried out in women under 45
• Treatments
• hormone replacement therapy (HRT) – tablets, skin patches, gels and implants that relieve menopausal symptoms by replacing oestrogen
• vaginal oestrogen creams, lubricants or moisturisers for vaginal dryness
• cognitive behavioural therapy
• eating a healthy, balanced diet and exercising regularly
• Referral to menopause specialist if symptoms do not improve after trying treatment or if unable to take HRT
• What’s available in Warwickshire?
• Menopause specialists
• The British Menopause Society is a specialist society associated with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists https://thebms.org.uk/
• British Menopause Society specialists are health care professionals that have been awarded additional qualifications.
• All BMS specialists are encouraged to become menopause trainers
• An online directory that provides a list of menopause specialists across the country
• Menopause specialists in Warwickshire
• There are two specialists listed in the online directory available at https://thebms.org.uk/find-a-menopause-specialist/
• They are both private providers
• There is no NHS provision in the County
• There are a number of ... view the full minutes text for item 5