Abstract
We were delighted to chair this year’s BMS annual scientific conference, with the theme ‘Menopause: solving the puzzle.’ Two thirds of those attending were from primary care, and it is these clinicians that are best placed to manage the diversity of problems affecting women transitioning through menopause. What all of us attending share is that we have all seen a huge increase in number of women who are seeking help for menopause. With this increase in numbers comes an increase in the complexity of the problems needing to be managed. This is evident from the complexity of the questions submitted on the BMS forum, many of which do not have simple answers.
So with this is mind, we brought together specialists from multiple different backgrounds, including cardiology, neurology, clinical psychology, law, and medicine, to help us fill in the bits of the puzzle that are often missed.
Our speakers made it apparent that when managing women at this stage of life, there is more to consider than managing menopause symptoms alone. We heard talks on conditions that affect the menopause, and conditions that are affected by the menopause and HRT. With respect to treatment, there is so more than just replacing estrogen. The programme included an excellent debate about the role of progesterone beyond endometrial protection. We also know that there is also more to management than hormones, so included a lecture on medicinal herbs and one on the psychosexual aspects of desire and libido.
We started the conference with individual pieces of a puzzle. Over the course of the two days our speakers gradually placed the pieces together to completion. We were blessed with a very high calibre of speakers, excellent free presentations and abstract submissions, with well deserving award winners and a buzzing audience. Most importantly, we would like to thank the valiant efforts of the BMS staff, who work tirelessly behind the scenes to organise and deliver this fantastic event every year.
We hope that everyone who attended the conference enjoyed it as much as we did, with new knowledge gained to help untangle the complexities, and to improve the care that we give to our patients.