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In recent years, women’s health has rightfully received increased attention. It has been prioritised in government strategy and there is more focus on research and education than ever before. In 2021, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society released a position statement on women’s health and, in 2022, The Pharmaceutical Journal launched a dedicated resource hub that maps content across the life course of women, which was aimed at making it easy for pharmacists to find the information they need.
One area where pharmacists and their teams are increasingly becoming more involved is menopause care.
It was not so long ago that menopause was rarely discussed, and perimenopause — the transitional phase leading up to menopause — was virtually unknown to women. Owing to several public awareness campaigns and celebrities speaking out, there is now less stigma around the topic of menopause. Women are more informed about treatment options, such as HRT, and they are more likely to seek advice on the management of menopause and the relief of symptoms.
We want to make sure you have all the resources you need to be able to support and empower women to make decisions about their menopause care
However, challenges remain and — in the context of increased HRT demand and medicines shortages — The Pharmaceutical Journal wants to make sure pharmacists have the resources needed to be able to support and empower women to make decisions about their menopause care, and to train and better equip pharmacy teams.
The Pharmaceutical Journal has covered a range menopause-related topics in recent years. We have examined the evidence base for testosterone prescribing in menopause, because there is no strong National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommendation or licensed product for women in the UK.
An in-depth CPD module on the management of perimenopause symptoms allows pharmacists to test their knowledge , and we have highlighted calls for caution around inappropriate antidepressant prescribing for perimenopausal patients.
Our coverage has also extended to access to HRT treatment, NICE’s recommendation of cognitive behavioural therapy for menopause symptoms, and new non-hormonal treatments. An episode of the PJ Pod has also explored the HRT shortages that have affected, and are still affecting, many women.
However, we recognise that there is still plenty for us to do. To expand our menopause coverage, The Pharmaceutical Journal has teamed up with Nuttan Tanna, a consultant pharmacist in women’s health and osteoporosis at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, to answer your questions. Nuttan runs medication management clinics that focus on menopause management support and osteoporosis and fracture prevention; she has presented and published widely on the subject.
To help inform what we work on next we want to hear from you:
- What do you want to know about menopause/HRT?
- Do you have a practical scenario that you would like some guidance on?
- What other menopause-related topics do you think we need to cover?
Please send your questions and suggestions to us using the form below or send us an email to: editor@pharmaceutical-journal.com
We look forward to hearing from you.
The PJ Team
