First Menopause Guidelines To Be Launched

On 1 June, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) opened public consultation on the first clinical guideline on the diagnosis and management of menopause. The guideline plans to address the considerable variation in what is currently offered to women experiencing the menopause, the symptoms of which are often misunderstood and underestimated. The guidelines will include a section specific to Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI).

We see this as a fantastic opportunity and a landmark in the treatment and awareness of POI. The Daisy Network was registered as a stakeholder during the consultation process, along with the British Menopause Society (BMS) and Women’s Health Alliance. Nick Panay, a long-standing patron of Daisy, is one of 15 experts in menopause care who are overseeing the development of the guideline.

Draft recommendations include which tests can be used to diagnose menopause, advice on offering individualised care, guidance on providing support to women likely to go through the menopause as a result of medical or surgical treatment, and recommendations on the benefits and risks of treatment with HRT.

Consultation on the guideline closed on 13 July. It is due to be published in November this year and will then be used across the NHS.

To view the guidelines online, visit the NICE website: http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-cgwave0639