Menopause is over medicalized and not a disease
Menopause "is over medicalized and not a disease": Experts charge that the business is "hijacking" conversations about natural change in order to "sell services and products," and they claim that by"It's overly medicalized and not a disease," says the menopause: Experts claim that the business is "hijacking" conversations about natural change in order to "sell services and products," and that by sharing "horror stories," celebrities like Davina McCall have "sensationalised" the subject. sharing "horror stories," celebrities like Davina McCall have "sensationalised" the issue.
Researchers claim that industry has "hijacked" an awareness movement to "sell services and products" and that menopause is not an illness.
In a thought-provoking article that appeared in The Lancet, scholars asserted that "commercial interests" are to blame for the "over-medicalization" of women, a natural shift that usually affects those between the ages of 45 and 55.
Reacting to the reports today, experts stated that middle-aged women are now "scared" about a biological inevitability because of the sensationalization of the matter due to celebrity "horror stories" surrounding the menopause.
A coalition of academics, including teams from Australia and the UK, claimed in a reputable medical publication that many problems linked to the menopause could actually be the effect of ageing.
They contended that stressful life experiences, such as raising children, working, or taking care of elderly relatives, may be the cause of or worsening of changes in mood, brain function, and sexual issues.
They advocated for the need for a new strategy centred on "health empowerment," in which women are given the information, self-assurance, and autonomy to control their own health.
"While symptom management holds significance, a medicalized perspective on menopause can undermine women's agency by promoting excessive treatment and ignoring possible advantages, like improved mental well-being as women age and freedom from menstruation, menstrual disorders, and contraception," the authors stated.
'It's extremely regrettable, especially in the UK, that an industry of selling services and products has partly hijacked an increasing public knowledge and conversation around menopause,' said study author Professor Martha Hickey of the University of Melbourne to BBC Radio 4.
She added that the argument made by her team is that "menopause is not a disease."She stated, "This disease is thought to herald decline and decay among women in a society that has very strong feelings about ageing and women."
The Menopause Café's creator, Rachel Weiss, responded to the Lancet articles by saying that we should stop sensationalising the shift with celebrity "horror stories."
She told The Times that "the pendulum has swung from "put up and shut up" about menopause to sensationalising it."
"It is imperative that we shift the balance towards normalising menopause and portray a varied range of menopausal experiences in the media, rather than merely sensationalised accounts from the elite."
However, GP and menopause expert Dr. Louise Newson, who founded Newson Health, issued a warning against characterising menopause as merely a "natural" aspect of ageing.
"Menopause is not just a group of symptoms," the speaker stated.
It is an inflammatory, cardiometabolic condition that raises the risk of many different diseases.
"Discussing menopause as a "normal transition" or a component of "healthy ageing" fails to acknowledge the actual suffering experienced by numerous women who experience menopausal symptoms."
Earlier this year, 'patronising' NHS guidelines for clinicians about the diagnosis and treatment of the menopause were released, criticising HRT excessively and supporting CBT instead.
The campaign organisation Menopause Mandate, which is supported by TV host Davina McCall, issued the critique.
Menopause Mandate also took issue with the advice's suggestion that hot flashes and insomnia be treated with talking treatment called cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Over the past few years, menopausal women were prescribed more HRT than ever before; in 2022–2023, 11 million products were distributed to help with symptoms.
Experts attribute the increase to the menopause's increased awareness as well as the "Davina effect."
It happened when Davina produced a number of menopause-related documentaries, which greatly raised public knowledge of menopausal alternatives including hormone replacement therapy.
The 56-year-old former Big Brother host discussed her battles with the debilitating symptoms she experienced in her forties in one of her programmes.
Not just her, but other celebrities have capitalised on the increased interest in menopause.
Famed for her roles in Peter Jackson's King Kong and Mulholland Drive, actress Naomi Watts has introduced her own range of menopause cosmetics called Stripes, designed to 'address the skin and body changes of menopause'.
The Menopause Café's creator, Rachel Weiss, responded to the Lancet articles by saying that we should stop sensationalising the shift with celebrity "horror stories."
She told The Times that "the pendulum has swung from "put up and shut up" about menopause to sensationalising it."
"It is imperative that we shift the balance towards normalising menopause and portray a varied range of menopausal experiences in the media, rather than merely sensationalised accounts from the elite."
However, GP and menopause expert Dr. Louise Newson, who founded Newson Health, issued a warning against characterising menopause as merely a "natural" aspect of ageing.
"Menopause is not just a group of symptoms," the speaker stated.
It is an inflammatory, cardiometabolic condition that raises the risk of many different diseases.
"Discussing menopause as a "normal transition" or a component of "healthy ageing" fails to acknowledge the actual suffering experienced by numerous women who experience menopausal symptoms."
Earlier this year, 'patronising' NHS guidelines for clinicians about the diagnosis and treatment of the menopause were released, criticising HRT excessively and supporting CBT instead.
The campaign organisation Menopause Mandate, which is supported by TV host Davina McCall, issued the critique.
Menopause Mandate also took issue with the advice's suggestion that hot flashes and insomnia be treated with talking treatment called cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Over the past few years, menopausal women were prescribed more HRT than ever before; in 2022–2023, 11 million products were distributed to help with symptoms.
Experts attribute the increase to the menopause's increased awareness as well as the "Davina effect."
It happened when Davina produced a number of menopause-related documentaries, which greatly raised public knowledge of menopausal alternatives including hormone replacement therapy.
The 56-year-old former Big Brother host discussed her battles with the debilitating symptoms she experienced in her forties in one of her programmes.
Not just her, but other celebrities have capitalised on the increased interest in menopause.
Famed for her roles in Peter Jackson's King Kong and Mulholland Drive, actress Naomi Watts has introduced her own range of menopause cosmetics called Stripes, designed to 'address the skin and body changes of menopause'.
In addition to investing in the plant-based supplement brand Wile, which produces perimenopause and premenopause products, tennis star Serena Williams has also starred in promotional videos for the business.
When offering advice on reducing menopausal symptoms, the authors of the Lancet articles also state that doctors should take women's lifestyles—such as smoking, drinking, and getting enough sleep—into account. In addition, they promoted hypnosis and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as HRT substitutes.
HRT is 'unlikely to have any benefit in women without' flushes, they claimed, despite the fact that it has been demonstrated to enhance sleep, memory, and attention in women taking it for it.
Additionally, although it lowers the incidence of bone fractures, research indicates that these advantages may diminish five years after stopping HRT.
Experts advised doctors to provide women'realistic information about the expected effects of treatment, the potential for lingering symptoms, and the likelihood that symptoms could resurface when treatment ceases' if they decide to pursue hormone replacement therapy.
A second study that was published in the Lancet revealed no proof that menopausal women were more likely to experience mental health issues.
The researchers concluded that there is insufficient evidence to conclude that the menopause transition is associated with a generally heightened risk of anxiety, bipolar illness, or psychosis.
Professor Hickey stated: "It is important for society as a whole to confront the myth that menopause is a medical condition that invariably signals a deterioration in both physical and mental well-being."
Many women lead fulfilling lives both during and after menopause, making valuable contributions to their families, careers, and society at large.
"Changing the narrative to see menopause as a natural part of ageing may better equip women to navigate this stage of life and lessen anxiety and fear among those who have not yet gone through it."
A natural aspect of ageing is the menopause, which is brought on by a decline in oestrogen levels.
It happens when a woman can no longer naturally become pregnant and ceases having her periods.
For most women, it begins between the ages of 45 and 55, though it can happen sooner.
Both the type of symptoms and their intensity vary.
Eight out of ten women will have symptoms such as vaginal dryness, night sweats, hot flashes, insomnia, anxiety, or low mood, as well as memory issues.
If a woman finds it difficult to control her symptoms, she should consult a doctor.
HRT is one of the treatments that doctors can offer that focuses on symptom management.
Hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, decreased sex drive, and memory issues can all be alleviated by hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which raises levels of hormones that are lost as a result of menopause.
There are shortages of several drugs in the UK due to the high demand for HRT.
The publication has previously dabbled with contentious themes surrounding women's health, as evidenced by its menopausal series of articles.
The journal was compelled to issue an apology in 2021 after depicting women on its cover as "bodies with vaginas."
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