Needless suffering!

Everytime I see a new patient for HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) I am amazed at how much women are suffering with menopause and how few people are aware that there are alternatives.
A patient I saw today looked so unhappy I wanted to just reach out and tell her "It will be OK". Despair was written all over her face.
She must have felt my empathy because after the consultation she surprised me when she said
"at least someone cares!".

As strange as it may seem I am so used to being a woman's last resort, they come in devasted by how they feel and how difficult it is to find help.

It just boggles my mind that in 2009 the medical profession still refuses to acknowledge menopause for what it is : a syndrome that often requires treatment. No snide comments or knowing winks 'you know she is going through the change' or 'its a natural process suck it up' and do we really care who's mother went through menopause without so much as a hot flash? This is 2009 and we are baby boomers, working and juggling, stressed to the max, already out of balance before menopause deals us the final blow.

It occurred to me today where a large part of the problem lies: With us the doctors!
In medical school menopause is barely mentioned and then in passing with a reference to the bad health conditions that occur after it but not as a medical entity that itself should be taken seriously.
Until the medical establishment and then the public at large takes it seriously, patients will not feel comfortable discussing the full extent of their complaints.
I have said ad nauseum: there is more to menopause than hot flashes, there is more to a woman than a uterus! And not only can hot flashes be debilitating, menopause is a syndrome not a symptom. It is a constellation of symptoms affecting almost every organ in the body. It is a bona fide condition which should be handled as such and considered worthy of treatment. Women should not be made to feel apologetic because they 'can't handle it' nor should they randomly be given medications for sleep, depression and anxiety without having the benefit of a full evaluation and treatment of the underlying cause.

IT IS TIME TO START A CONVERSATION about those issues that affect the quality of the lives of women - Menopause can adversely impact the lives of those closest to us and it is time we gave this syndrome the public attention it deserves. The Public Health impact affects not only women but families and friends, workmates and relationships.
If you know someone who is suffering needlessly with menopausal symptoms please spread the word and let them know there are treatments available that will restore their quality of life.

Add life to your years and years to your life

Dr Tuakli