Campaigners including Davina McCall, Penny Lancaster and Mariella Frostrup have fought for better access to HRT and encouraged more women to seek help with debilitating symptoms. But medics writing in The British Medical Journal today say treating menopause as a hormone deficiency requiring drugs is inaccurate.
Although some women benefit from HRT to ease symptom such as hot flushes and night sweats, many consider it a “natural process” and prefer not to take medication, they said.
The joint article, led by Martha Hickey from the University of Mel-bourne, said: “The message that menopause signals decay and decline, which can be delayed or reversed by hormonal treatments, persists. It is reinforced by the media, medical literature, and information for women, often driven by marketing interests.
“While effective treatments are important for those with troublesome symptoms, medicalisation may increase women’s anxiety about a natural life stage.” Caroline Nokes MP, a prominent campaigner and chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, hit back at the criticism.
She said: “None of us expect HRT to reverse ageing, but we know it can help alleviate some symptoms of the menopause. If hot flushes, night sweats, unbearable itching, insomnia and anxiety can all be avoided, I am astonished the BMJ is telling us to just get on with it.
“For many HRT can be a game-changer, which is why we need consistent availability and support, not criticism for highlighting this issue.”
Dr Paula Briggs of the British Menopause Society said the debate was at “two very extreme ends of the spectrum” and each case should be considered individually.
