Abstract
Menopausal symptoms and their management are a common presenting complaint. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is effective in the relief of menopausal symptoms; however, its use remains controversial. There are alternative treatment options available for women who cannot or do not wish to take HRT. This article aims to provide an overview of some common menopausal symptoms experienced by women and an approach to their management.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.Bladder Matters Website . Founder & lead author of Menopause Matters & Bladder Matters websites is Dr Heather Currie . Retrieved from: www.bladdermatters.co.uk.
2.British Menopause Society (2005 ). Premature Menopause. British Menopause Society Fact Sheet . Retrieved from: www.thebms.org.uk/factdetail.php?id=1.
3.British Menopause Society (2007 ). Premature Menopause. British Menopause Society Council Consensus Statement . Retrieved from: www.thebms.org.uk/statementpreview.php?id=3.
4.
Cody
J.D.
Richardson
K.
Moehrer
B.
Hextall
A.
Glazener
C.M.A.
(2009 ). Oestrogens for urinary stress incontinence in women . Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews . Issue 4. Art No.: CD001405. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001405.pub2.
5.
Committee on Safety of Medicines (2003 ). Topical and vaginal oestrogens: Endometrial safety . Current Problems in Pharmacovigilance
29 : 3 . Retrieved from: www.mhra.gov.uk/Publications/Safetyguidance/CurrentProblemsinPharmacovigilance/CON007449.
6.Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (2010 ). Contraception for Women Aged Over 40 Years . Retrieved from: www.fsrh.org/pdfs/ContraceptionOver40July10.pdf.
7.
Grady
D.
(2006 ). Management of menopausal symptoms . New England Journal of Medicine
355 (22 ): 2338 –2347 . doi:10.1056/NEJMcp054015.
8.
Lethaby
A.
Marjoribanks
J.
Kronenberg
F.
Roberts
H.
Eden
J.
Brown
J.
(2006 ). Phytoestrogens for vasomotor menopausal symptoms. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews . Issue 4. Art. No.: CD001395. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001395.pub3.
9.
Menopause Matters Website. Retrieved from: www.menopausematters.co.uk.
10.
Nelson
H.
(2008 ). Menopause . Lancet
371 : 760 –770 . doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(08)60346-3.
11.NHS Clinical Knowledge Summaries (2007 ). Contraception . Retrieved from: www.cks.nhs.uk/contraception.
12.
13.NICE (2006 ). Urinary Incontinence: the Management of Urinary Incontinence in Women . Retrieved from: www.nice.org.uk/CG40.
14.
Peet
D.
(2009 ). Menopause and HRT . InnovAiT
1 (2 ): 10 –16 . doi:10.1093/innovait/inn168.
15.RCGP Curriculum statement 10.1 : Women's health . Retrieved from: www.rcgp-curriculum.org.uk/pdf/curr_10_1_Womens_Health.pdf.
16.
Roberts
H.
(2007 ). Managing the menopause . British Medical Journal
334 : 736 –741 . doi:10.1136/bmj.39153.522535.BE.
17.Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (2010 ). Alternatives to HRT for Management of Symptoms of the Menopause . 2nd edn . Retrieved from: www.rcog.org.uk/womens-health/clinical-guidance/alternatives-hrt-management-symptoms-menopause.
18.Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) (2003 ). Consensus Conference on Hormone Replacement Therapy: Final Consensus Statement . Retrieved from: www.rcpe.ac.uk/clinical-standards/standards/hrt_03.php.
19.
Simon
C.
Everitt
H.
Kendrick
T.
(2009 ). Oxford Handbook of General Practice . 3rd edn . Oxford University Press , Oxford . ISBN 978-0-19-856581-9.
20.
Suckling
J.
Kennedy
R.
Lethaby
A.
Roberts
H.
(2006 ). Local oestrogen for vaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women . Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews , Issue 4. Art No.: CD001500. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001500.pub2.