DR PHILIPPA KAYE: I'm so concerned over campaigners pushing women to take HRT they don't need - by insisting the menopause must be treated as a disease By Dr Philippa Kaye For The Mail On Sunday Published: 11:44, 6 October 2024 | Updated: 11:44, 6 October 2024 e-mail View comments Last week’s controversial BBC Panorama episode, The Menopause Industry Uncovered, came as a shock to many. The first half of the 30-minute film raised concerns over expensive menopause supplements being sold in the UK, despite having no clear benefit. However, the second part of the documentary was more worrying.
It alleged that some private menopause doctors are putting the health of women at-risk by prescribing extremely high doses of HRT. The show focused on one specialist and her clinic in particular – the celebrity menopause guru Dr Louise Newson. HRT pills can play an important role in tackling symptoms of the menopause According to Panorama, her private practice – The Newson Clinic – is prescribing one in five of its patients with doses of HRT well above the recommended limits.
Dr Newson and her colleagues claim these high doses are necessary to control the debilitating symptoms triggered by hormonal changes, including hot flushes, disrupted sleep, and mental health problems. But Panorama highlighted 12 cases of women who claimed they had been harmed by the medication. As a GP with an interest in women’s health, I am disappointed by the revelations but not surprised.
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