Menopause experts warn against over-medicalising

A ground-breaking new Aussie study is urging women to not be frightened of medical “horror stories”.

Women facing menopause should not be scared of “horror stories” and view it as a health problem that can only be solved by resorting to hormone therapy, Australian experts said.

In a wide-ranging series published in The Lancet, researchers from the University of Melbourne and the University of Queensland warned of the potential impacts of the “over-medicalisation” of the menopause as they called for a new approach to the life stage.

As well as hormone replacement therapy, doctors should discuss treatments such as cognitive behaviour therapy for women suffering symptoms including hot flushes and night sweats, the report said.

Australian experts have called for a new approach to menopause.

Co-author Professor Martha Hickey, from the University of Melbourne and the Royal Women’s Hospital, said the misconception of menopause as a problem that needed to be medicated should be challenged.

“Many women live rewarding lives during and after menopause, contributing to work, family life and the wider society,” Prof Hickey said.

“Changing the narrative to view menopause as part of healthy ageing may better empower women to navigate this life stage and reduce fear and trepidation amongst those who have yet to experience it.”

Menopause is all part of health ageing, say experts, and should not be feared. Picture: Getty Images

The researchers also highlighted the potentially negative aspects of the “menopause moment”, which has seen a wave of celebrities and influencers discussing “horror stories” such as anxiety, excess weight gain and brain fog, while advocating the use of hormonal treatment.

Report co-author Dr Lydia Brown, from the University of Melbourne, said menopause needed to be recognised as “a natural part of healthy ageing for women” rather than “something to fear”.

“While it’s certainly the case that some women have extremely negative experiences of menopause and benefit from hormone therapies, that isn’t the whole picture,” she said.

Dr Sarah White, CEO of the Jean Hailes Foundation, said there a “stigma” associated with menopause, which most often begins between the age of 45 and 55, and was largely due to negative social attitudes around women and ageing.

Dr Sarah White, of the Jean Hailes Foundation, says menopause has too often been portrayed as a time when older women are “temperamental”.

Tina Bose, from Ballarat, is using exercise to combat the perimenopause. Picture: Supplied

She called for a commonsense approach, saying women needed to be able to have more open conversations about workplace accommodations when dealing with symptoms.

She said: “When not shrouded in silence, menopause has, too often, been portrayed as a time when older women are ‘temperamental’.

“In reality, about one-quarter of women will have no to very mild symptoms, one-quarter will have severe symptoms and half will have annoying but manageable symptoms.”

Adopting key lifestyle changes such as a healthy diet and taking up exercise, the report said, may also help benefit individuals dealing with menopause-induced sleep issues and mood swings.

Ballarat-based author and cake designer Tina Bose, who has joined a female-led online exercise program, is one of those taking a natural approach to her perimenopausal journey.

The 45-year-old said she planned on using exercise and diet to combat the symptoms rather than hormonal treatment.

“When talking about menopause, partners and families need to be involved,” she said.

“Because it’s not just us suffering it in isolation, it has an immediate impact on everyone around us.”

Originally published as Menopause experts warn against over-medicalising