Women should be offered NHS menopause checks at 40, say MPs

The Menopause All-Party Parliamentary Group have said menopause checks by GPs should be included in the NHS health check offered every five years to those aged between 40 and 74.

Campaigner Mariella Frostrup, has said it is “ludicrous” that menopause information was not part of the check which looks for conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

Ms Frostrup, chairwoman of the Menopause Mandate Campaign, said it should include support and information about the menopause, adding “It seems utterly ludicrous you go to this health check as a woman in your early 40s, which is exactly when perimenopause starts for most women, and the one thing you don’t find out about is the one thing that you will absolutely 100% be experiencing over the subsequent decade.”

The Menopause All-Party Parliamentary Group said doctors often failed to recognise the symptoms.

The group said that more needed to be done to ensure medical professionals feel “equipped and empowered” to prescribe all types of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) – a treatment that helps alleviate the symptoms of the menopause.

Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, associate medical director of the British Heart Foundation, said “Changes to a woman’s body during menopause, such as fallen oestrogen levels, are linked with a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

“After the menopause, the chance of a woman having a heart attack is drastically increased.

“All too often, women don’t prioritise their own health.  As we women approach menopause, it is a perfect opportunity to reassess our risks of future cardiovascular disease and to take steps to protect our hearts.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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