In November 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) released guidance that women with menopausal symptoms should be offered hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as the initial treatment as opposed to therapy.
The guidance was aimed towards medics in England and Wales, to ensure they know that HRT would be the preferred treatment option for menopause as opposed to therapy – which NICE had originally advised would work as an alternative in its draft guidance released in 2023.
Here at Bodyline, we stand firm in the belief that HRT is one of the most effective solutions to tackling the often life-changing, and debilitating symptoms of the menopause. While therapy can be a beneficial option for women struggling with their mental health through the menopause, it is not a treatment that can be compared to the physical replacement of hormone loss that a woman goes through.
We join the British Menopause Society in commending the guidelines encouragement of menopause awareness, HRT access, and recommends continued scientific research into the menopause.
However, there is no doubt that this guidance has come extraordinarily late, as 50% of the population have suffered through menopausal symptoms while jumping through hoops to get access to a treatment option. The misconceptions about menopause and the treatment pathways involved need to be properly explored and debunked, so a clear pathway for menopausal women can be outlined and confusion for both women and health professionals is minimised.
Challenging misconceptions about the menopause and HRT is paramount to ensuring women get the best possible care when experiencing the change, particularly when symptoms are impacting the quality of life. The new NICE guidance emphasises that HRT does not impact overall life expectancy and no longer advocates a cessation of HRT after 2-5 years, offering reassurance to women looking at the treatment as an option.
We’d like to explain the shortcomings of this NICE guidance for NHS medics, alongside highlighting the advantages of bespoke and personalised HRT, the importance of support throughout HRT treatment, and how that regular support can provide a lifeline to women in one of the toughest periods of her life.
Contact Bodyline today to find out more about our hormone replacement therapy treatments
What is HRT for menopause treatment?
The menopause is caused by a gradual decline of certain sexual hormones connected to a woman’s reproductive lifeline. Though the body’s ability to produce the hormone is in decline, there are still fluctuations along the way, which bring on symptoms and life altering side effects.
These symptoms can include hot flashes, sleeplessness, low mood, anxiety, depression, weight gain, to name a few.
That’s why women prefer to treat this hormonal decline with replacement hormones, in the form of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).
This NICE guidance for medics in England and Wales is based on the use of standardised HRT approaches, which target the typical hormone deficiencies – oestrogen and progesterone.
However, personalised treatments are available through specialist clinics, that prescribe a wider range of HRT treatments based on blood test analysis and symptom checkers, ensuring a woman’s hormone levels can be balanced based on her individual hormonal decline. These personalised treatment plans, available through Bodyline, include gels, creams, pills, and capsules to provide the hormones.
Our bespoke plans don’t just monitor and maintain oestrogen and progesterone levels, but also the hormones such as testosterone, which can also play a role through the menopause.
Why supported HRT works best for treating the menopause
A pathway through the menopause has never really been clear, concise, and well-advertised to women or GPs, resulting in a large number of women feeling confused and isolated while experiencing symptoms that can really impact their sense of self.
The NICE guidance now officially states: “for vasomotor symptoms such as flushes and sweats, HRT should be offered after full consideration of benefits and risk, since it was shown to be the most effective treatment with minimal risks.”
However, support throughout the menopause is also a vital part of a bespoke treatment plan.
Katie Illingsworth, nurse practitioner and prescriber at Bodyline, spoke to us about why regular monitoring and support meetings have helped women through their HRT treatment journey:
“There isn’t a single woman that I’ve seen for HRT assessment who is not a formidable, pioneering, and impressive person. But thanks to the menopause, they’re feeling really insecure inside. When I get to empathize and offer them something that means they start to feel a little bit better about themselves, that’s the joy of it.”
“Part of what we offer is not just saying, ‘Oh, yeah, come and get the drugs through us.’ Before the diagnostic blood analysis and consultations, we have that 40-minute conversation where a nurse really delves into what’s happening, which means we can help get them on a plan that is ever-evolving. We titrate and monitor their hormones over the course of 6 to 12 months and get them on a treatment pathway, so they don’t feel like that anymore, and it’s amazing to be a part of.”
The Bodyline Difference
Bodyline Clinic provides comprehensive consultations with specialist menopause nurses and doctors, many of whom have actually experienced the menopause themselves, and know exactly what they’re offering from both sides. During these consultations, we allow clients to lead the way discussing their symptoms, medical history, and concerns. It isn’t just hot flashes that impact women, the effects of the menopause are far reaching and can turn their lives upside down.
To gain a clear understanding of your hormonal levels we offer diagnostic blood tests, assessing hormone levels, vitamin deficiencies, and other relevant health markers.
Our holistic approach to menopause treatment considers a woman’s unique symptoms, medical history, lifestyles, preferences, and test results. All these considerations add up to produce a treatment plan that offers individualised HRT prescriptions, tips and guidance in lifestyle modifications, and nutritional vitamin supplementation.
However, we also understand that the menopause is an evolving process, and hormone deficiencies fluctuate across the years. This is why ongoing support, symptom monitoring, and follow-up appointments are an essential part of the treatments. Further blood tests can also be undertaken to ensure optimum outcomes during the menopause journey.
Bodyline’s M Plan provides clients with healthcare professionals who actually understand the complexities of the menopause, as opposed to their general practitioners (GP) who can only provide general advice and healthcare guidance based on NICE publications.
Our team are dedicated to supporting women as they navigate the menopause transition with confidence, and a positive mindset knowing she isn’t alone.
To find out more call Bodyline menopause specialist customer services team on 0800 995 6036 or fill in an online contact form for a call back.
