Reena Murray was 36 when hot flushes started washing over her with overwhelming intensity.
In a one-two punch, the chemotherapy that treated her breast cancer had triggered early onset menopause, and her doctors were reluctant to prescribe hormone therapy for fear of fuelling her cancer.
Reena Murray, 41, experienced early onset menopause after receiving cancer treatment.Credit: Wolter Peeters
“I wasn’t prepared for the long-term implications of what menopause does, particularly in my 30s,” said Murray. She described debilitating migraines, insomnia, night sweats, muscle loss and brain fog that prevented the osteopath from seeing patients.
“My GPs tried their best, but no one could navigate the complexity of my case,” she said.
Murray’s search for help led her to Sydney’s new Menopause Hub: a public health service for women with severe or complex menopause symptoms who have not responded to previous treatments or have complications from other medical conditions.
Up to one in four women will experience severe menopause symptoms – roughly 400,000 Australians at any one time.
“I wasn’t prepared for the long-term implications of what menopause does, particularly in my 30s”
Reena Murray
The hub at the Royal Hospital for Women, Randwick – formally opened by Health Minister Ryan Park on Wednesday – is staffed by a multidisciplinary team of medical, nursing and allied health specialists led by gynaecologist and reproductive endocrinologist Professor John Eden.
During Murray’s first consultation, Eden took the time to understand how her symptoms affected her quality of life. He talked her through the research underpinning menopause treatment and laid out her options.
“When I left the clinic, I felt hopeful for the first time,” said Murray, who is now on personalised testosterone and estrogen therapy.
The hub includes the state’s first hormone and mood clinic, where psychiatrists, gynaecologists and endocrinologists provide specialist care to women experiencing severe mental health impacts due to hormonal changes.
“These are very desperate women,” Eden said. “Some of them are actively suicidal in the premenstrual phase and they need very specialised care that is not always available.”
The use of hormone treatment for menopause dropped dramatically following media coverage of a US 2002 Women’s Health Initiative study, which raised concerns about an increased risk of breast cancer.
The study was found to be flawed and hormone therapy is considered safe to use for most women in their 50s or for the first 10 years after menopause onset, and the risk for blood clots, strokes and breast cancer while taking the medication is small.
However, Dr Terri Foran, a sexual health physician and NSW director of the Australasian Menopause Society, said the fallout from the initial study was still evident, despite the benefits and reduced risk of body-identical hormones over the older synthetic hormones.
“We lost a whole generation of doctors who could confidently manage menopause symptoms,” Foran said.
“But we now have women coming through menopause who are not prepared to grit their teeth and bear it and are demanding more evidence-based, agency-driven approach to managing their symptoms.”
The new hub is part of NSW Health’s menopause network, which includes four central hubs and multiple referral sites.
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