To Get Relief During Menopause, You May Have to Ditch Your Doctor.

I am beyond disappointed by the position papers put out by the North American Menopause Society detailing their official recommendations for the care of menopausal symptoms in women, and you should be, too.  The medical profession as a whole is failing in this area, and it is clear that it is up to us to take responsibility for our health and find the best way forward.

This 2015 paper (the most recent on the subject) states its objective as expanding their “evidence-based position on nonhormonal management of menopause-associated vasomotor symptoms (VMS)...” – sounds promising, right? 

Nope.  I almost laughed when I read the conclusions: that clinicians should be cautious in treating midlife women suffering from hot flashes attributed to menopause so that they don’t underuse effective therapies (read: hormones).  Oh, forgot to mention that psychotherapy might help too, because you are probably hysterical. 

They do not recommend any “therapy” that can be self-administered: cooling techniques, yoga, exercise, herbal or over-the-counter medications; and warn caution in suggesting stress-reduction or weight loss.   So basically, women that are suffering during menopause are being directed en masse by the medical profession to seek HRT as the only effective solution.   If you wonder why that would be the case, follow the money.  Just check out the companies that support the Board of Trustees of NAMS – it’s a Who’s Who of Big Pharma.   Let me be clear: I WANT pharmaceutical companies to pay for R&D and to discover tons of new therapies that can make our lives better – that is totally appropriate, and we need that to happen.  But to actively discourage doctors from suggesting any form of treatment that does not include said pharmaceuticals strikes me as irresponsible at best – especially when there is an equal or greater amount of research out there (even some of the studies cited in this position paper) – proving that there are many nonhormonal approaches to menopause in general and hot flashes in particular that work just as well, if not better than, HRT.  I mean, this is not a new thing - somehow women made it through menopause 100 years ago, no?  It flies in the face of logic. 

The one thing the NAMS gets right is that 75% of women do not feel fully informed or are unsure of treatment options.  Take that as a wake-up call: it is up to each of us to educate ourselves and become our own advocates when it comes to our health.  Each woman experiences menopause differently, and hormones MIGHT be right for you, but HRT is by no means the only or even the best approach.  Don’t let your doctor tell you otherwise!