Women forced to attend up to 10 GP appointments to get menopause diagnosis, study finds

Women are being forced to attend up to 10 GP appointments to get a menopause diagnosis, first-of-its-kind research has found.

The UK’s largest ever polling of perimenopausal and menopausal women, exclusively shared with The Independent, suggested almost five million GP hours are wasted on unnecessary menopause appointments due to the ignorance of health professionals.

An estimated 13 million women are going through the menopause in the UK, with a substantial proportion experiencing debilitating symptoms including heart palpitations, hot flushes, headaches, vaginal pain, anxiety and depression.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is used to alleviate menopause symptoms and many women credit the treatment as being “life-changing”.

Dr Louise Newson, who spearheaded the research, warned women are enduring “needless barriers” to getting HRT, adding that she meets many who are “suffering and confused”.

Research by her menopause clinic, Newson Health, suggests thousands of GP appointments are wasted.

The study found almost a third of women had between two and five medical appointments before their symptoms were diagnosed as linked to the perimenopause and menopause.

Perimenopause refers to the period leading up to the menopause, with hormones often fluctuating during this time and women starting the perimenopause at different ages.

The study found that nearly one in 10 of almost 6,000 women polled were forced to sit through between six and ten appointments before getting their diagnosis.

Dr Louise Newson

Dr Newson said: “We’ve seen time and time again that for many women, the psychological symptoms of the menopause are amongst the most common, and often the most crippling.”

She warned women are too frequently told their symptoms are caused by depression instead of low mood linked to menopause or perimenopause.

Dr Newson added: “For many, they find that the existing healthcare system is not equipped to deal with them: the over-prescribing of antidepressants is a nationwide issue and, coupled with an endemic lack of knowledge around HRT, women experience repeated appointments and unnecessary prescriptions”.

She said it is key that correct diagnoses are made and women are offered the right treatment promptly to ensure they “don’t have to suffer in silence or risk developing long-term health issues associated with low hormones, such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and dementia”.

Dr Newson added: “HRT, often with testosterone, is the evidence-based, first-line treatment for perimenopause and menopause-related symptoms.”

Researchers found around two in five women were offered antidepressants instead of HRT and 13 per cent of women said healthcare professionals had suggested cognitive behavioural therapy instead of HRT.

Two in five women felt frustrated with the process of obtaining a HRT prescription, referring to uncertainty voiced by doctors.

Dr Helena Ahling-Smith said: “As an NHS GP I have seen many women with a history of anxiety and depression who have been prescribed antidepressants first line rather than considering that they would benefit from having HRT.

“Had HRT been considered in the first place they would not have suffered in some cases years of poor mental health or required as many appointments with their GP and mental health services.”

Dr Helena Ahling-Smith

She warned that menopausal women who have been prescribed pain relief tablets and referred to orthopaedics or rheumatology despite the cause of their musculoskeletal pain being low oestrogen.

Newson Health called for healthcare professionals to be given comprehensive training and education on the menopause.

Dr Lauren Walker, who specialises in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics at Liverpool University, said: “In addition to the time that may be lost as a result of overprescribing antidepressants, these drugs can have serious adverse outcomes associated with them, including cardiac rhythm disturbance, bleeding events and falls.”