Menopause Screenings and Hormone Medication Access
Campaigners have stated that women should receive free menopause screenings at age 40 and have simpler access to hormone medication.
Currently, midlife MOTs are provided to all women as a means of screening for specific health conditions, including stroke, diabetes, and heart disease.
Political Advocacy
At present, peers and cross-party Members of Parliament are advocating the inclusion of a “discussion and diagnosis” of menopause within the examination.
Comprehensive Reforms
Ahead of the upcoming General Election, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Menopause has presented this as one of seven recommendations.
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In place of the current “postcode lottery” of treatment, the “Manifesto for Menopause” also calls for a national formulary for hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which would permit physicians and chemists to prescribe any approved medication.
They support incentives for general practitioners to identify menopause and initiatives to make doctors feel “empowered and equipped” to administer all HRT.
Menopause action plans should be compulsory for major companies with over 250 employees.
The licensing of testosterone designed specifically for women, increased funding for menopause research, and a review and improvement of the provision of specialized care are additional reforms.
Addressing Challenges
The government issued a Serious Shortages Protocol less than one month following the initiation of the campaign, which facilitated the process for chemists to substitute treatments.
In a landmark development for the United Kingdom, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) also decided to offer a specific type of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) over-the-counter. Additionally, earlier this year, a program went into effect that will save menopausal women over £200 annually.
Carolyn Harris, chair of the APPG on Menopause and Labour MP for Swansea, stated, “I am pleased with how far we’ve come in the two years since we initiated the menopause revolution.”
As a result of the ceaseless efforts of so many remarkable activists, menopause is now squarely on the political agenda.
Although significant progress has been made, exemplified by the reduction in HRT prescription fees, there remain numerous challenges that must be addressed to guarantee that women enduring menopause receive the appropriate support to which they are entitled.
‘Day by day,’ I hear accounts of women who are unable to obtain HRT due to a lack of supply, who are unable to obtain a diagnosis from their primary care physician, who have quit their jobs for lack of support, or who simply do not know where to turn for assistance.
“As elections approach next year, we are urging all political parties to include these reforms in their respective election platforms and alter the manner in which the incoming administration handles menopause.”
“This cannot continue; now is the time to take action.”
Workplace Impact
Recent research indicates that approximately 25% of women have contemplated leaving their employment as a result of the difficulties posed by menopause symptoms in the workplace.
Without more assistance for women, the workforce could lose millions of female workers, according to a Simplyhealth survey of 2,000 UK women.
