Educating other practitioners on how to assess menopausal women

Abstract

Background:Despitemore than 1 in 4 postmenopausal women experiencing moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms, the use of hormone therapy is low. Presently less than 6% of Australian women are using hormone therapy and less than 1% are using prescription non-hormonal therapy to manage their symptoms [1]. Primary care physicians are uncertain not only about the risks and benefits of prescription hormonal and non-hormonal therapy, but also what to prescribe. Methods: We reviewed the published practice guidelines and position statements pertaining to management of the menopause, and studies of hormonal and non-hormonal therapies. Results: The “Practitioner Toolkit forManaging theMenopause” consists of simple algorithms that address: why a woman might present, who to determinemenopausal status without doing blood tests, key information that should be ascertained, issues that may influence treatment decisionmaking, hormonal and non hormonal treatment options, symptommanagement and patient review, and a brief supporting document. Conclusion: These algorithms and the supporting document provide an accessible desk-top tool for health care practitioners caring for women atmidlife. The toolkit has been published on line by the journal Climacteric and canbe accessed in full at the journal’s website.