Is menopause managed well enough in general practice?

Abstract

Menopause is an important phase in the life of older women. Women’s life expectancy has increased worldwide. As women experience and perceive menopause differently depending on their personal, family and sociocultural backgrounds, perimenopausal symptoms can often go unnoticed and missed by general practitioners. General practitioners are uniquely placed in the healthcare delivery pyramid to close this gap and improve patients’ quality of life by identifying perimenopausal signs and symptoms early. This article shares knowledge about continuing medical education for general practitioners to close the existing gap. As there is great variability within each menopausal woman’s experience as well as among individual women, there is a need to individualise and render personalised care. By being able to discuss accepted and safe standards of care and by advocating for a holistic approach incorporating both non-pharmacological and pharmacological strategies, general practitioners would be able to improve the confidence of their patients for better health outcomes.

Keywords

• perimenopause
• general practitioners
• risk factors
• oestrogen replacement therapy