Advice and guidance is now being offered on the menopause to women at Southport hospital.
The clinic is run by Dr Paula Briggs, Consultant in Sexual and Reproductive Health with Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust as well as a published author on the subject.
“There are estimated to be more than 15,000 women in our hospitals’ catchment area who have the potential to benefit from Menopausal Hormone Therapy.
“These women can now benefit from advice in a consultant-led specialist service. This will provide them with the right information which will help women to make an informed decision regarding their care. The clinic will accept ‘out of the area’ referrals to the menopause service as there are limited training clinics in this specialist field.”
The menopause transition takes woman from reproductive to post-reproductive life and can take many years. In some cases symptoms never resolve. Many women suffer debilitating consequences from lack of oestrogen.
All women will be affected by longer term consequences of oestrogen deficiency including a reduction in bone mineral density and an increase in the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Women must be referred by their GP to access the service which can help with the following issues:
- Short-term menopausal symptoms, best managed with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) following an individualised risk assessment
- Peri-menopausal heavy menstrual bleeding
- Treatment for more complex hormone related conditions, for example, polycystic ovary syndrome and premenstrual syndrome.
Dr Briggs holds roadshows to further educate women which have include police, fire and rescue service, NHS organisations and HM Revenue and Customs.
“The sessions have been extremely popular with women attending from across the North West. The feedback has been described as providing an informative, sympathetic, helpful and knowledgeable source of information,” she said.
Dr Briggs is working on a patient handbook to improve patient understanding of the consequences of the menopause and potential treatment choices following assessment which will be available later in the summer.
Dr Briggs is a Consultant in Sexual and Reproductive Health and is also an author – she co-edited ‘Managing the Menopause’ – 21st Century Solutions’ published by Cambridge University Press which has sold more than 1,000 copies – it can be bought for around £30.
TOP CONSULTANT: Author, Dr Paula Briggs.
PUBLISHED: Dr Paula Briggs’ work has been published in ‘Managing the Menopause – 21st Century Solutions’ has sold more than 1,000 copies.
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