A Practitioner's Toolkit for Managing the Menopause

Abstract

Objective A number of learned societies, including the International Menopause Society, have produced position statements pertaining to the use of postmenopausal hormone therapy. These documents are highly informative but are not designed for use by primary-care physicians and nurse practitioners during routine consultations. Our aim was to produce a toolkit for practitioners that could be used during offi ce consultations to assist them in the assessment and management of the menopause.Methods We used clinical experience in primary care, combined with published diagnostic algorithms, positions statements from learned medical societies and relevant peer-reviewed literature to develop assessment and management algorithms relevant to the primary care of women age 40 years and older.

Low use of effective and safe therapies for moderate to severe menopausal symptoms

“…Women were classified as premenopausal, perimenopausal, or postmenopausal, using published algorithms 23,24 derived from the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop þ 10 classification. 25,26 Women were classified based on age, history of bilateral oophorectomy, hysterectomy, menstrual bleeding, VMS, and use of systemic hormone therapies.…”

Moderate to severe vasomotor and sexual symptoms remain problematic for women aged 60 to 65 years

“…Women were classified as premenopausal, perimenopausal, or postmenopausal using published algorithms 13,14 derived from the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop +10 classification. 1,2 Each woman was classified based on age, history of bilateral oophorectomy, hysterectomy, menstrual bleeding, VMS, and use of systemic hormonal contraception or HT.…”

Women with chronic conditions: influence of selected psychosocial factors on exercise and Physical Activity Level

“…The permanent cessation of menstruation at menopause results from the loss of ovarian function and therefore represents the end of a woman's reproductive life [1]. Decrease in the estrogen level of menopausal and post-menopausal women may start a rapid decline in aerobic fitness, muscular strength, bone mineral density, and increased weight, all of which increase the risk for many chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis-especially among sedentary women [2,3].…”