Menopause guidelines update
Ovacome’s Head of Support represented your views on menopause.
September 2024 saw the release of the first guidance for the management of menopausal symptoms following treatment of gynaecological cancer. Ovacome’s Head of Support Services, Anna Hudson, worked alongside experts from the British Gynaecological Society (BGCS) and the British Menopausal Society (BMS) as part of the process to create the guidance. Anna’s role on the panel was to represent the views and experiences of the ovarian cancer community. New guidance on the management of menopausal symptoms for gynaecological cancer patients has been welcomed by the patient and clinical communities.
Some of the general recommendations in these guidelines include:
- All women who are likely to go through menopause as a result of surgery, systemic therapy and/or radiotherapy treatment should have a pre-treatment discussion of possible menopausal symptoms and potential management options.
- Women should have access to evidence-based information about menopausal symptoms, HRT and alternative treatment options.
- Evaluation of symptoms and individual needs should be reassessed on a regular basis, with an annual review once stable.
At the time of the release of the guidelines, Anna said: “While there is more work to be done in ensuring that anybody struggling with menopausal symptoms as a result of their cancer diagnosis has access to the information and treatment they need, this guidance will also help people with a diagnosis to understand what their options are and the information they should be given.”
These new guidelines have been produced for use by any healthcare professional working with or treating those affected by gynaecological cancers, and they are available to anyone via the BGCS website: www.bgcs.org.uk/professionals/guidelines-for-recent-publications/
You can also access Ovacome’s specialist, PIF tick accredited information here: https://www.ovacome.org.uk/about-ovarian-cancer/living-with-ovarian-cancer/side-effects-of-treatment/surgical-menopause
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