Fuerte Consulting

If you've got 5 minutes today, take a moment to listen to Michelle Obama's recent speech, where she thoughtfully addresses women's health, including the topic of menopause. Her eloquence serves as a powerful reminder of the neglected area of women's health in medical research. It's time we start having more open conversations about women's health, and organisations like Menopause Mandate and Menopause Experts Group Limited are leading the way in the UK. #menopause #perimenopause #menopauseawarenessmonth https://lnkd.in/eRtsf2ux

Happy World Menopause Day! 🎉 This year's theme focuses on Menopause Hormone Treatment (HRT), sparking strong opinions among women and doctors alike. The 2003 Women's Health Initiative study initially linked HRT to a higher risk of breast cancer, leading to a drastic decline in its use in the UK. However, subsequent findings revealed flaws in the study, causing ongoing confusion surrounding HRT. Over the last 20 years new formulations of HRT have emerged and there's been a reduction in the use of the medications reviewed in the 2003 study, which were formulated with pretty unpleasant ingredients such as the urine of pregnant horses. Now, body identical HRT is derived from the yam plant and has the same molecular structure as the hormones your ovaries produce naturally. It's widely available as both oestrogen and progesterone. You may also hear about bioidentical HRT, but this is not the same as body identical HRT and this is unregulated and not subject to any quality controls. So if you see Facebook advertisements offering natural alternatives to HRT they might be labelled as bioidentical. It's also worth remembering that as body identical HRT is derived from plants and matches our own hormone structure, that it's not as unnatural an option as you might think. That said, HRT isn't for everyone and may not be suitable for anyone with a family history of hormone-sensitive cancer. But it's really important that anyone looking at HRT weighs up all the evidence and comes to their own decision. Remember, there's no one-size-fits-all solution – only what's best for you! #menopause #perimenopause #hrt #mht #worldmenopauseday

I came across an intriguing study on teenage period pain discussed on Radio 2 this morning during Vernon Kay's show. It's remarkable that in 2024, this is the first study in this area. As Vernon rightly pointed out, if men experienced periods, this research would likely have been conducted already. It's refreshing to hear this perspective from a man! I'm eager to delve into the results of this study when they arrive, especially regarding the impact of period pains on areas like exam performance. As someone who has experienced this issue for a long time, I can empathise with young girls facing these challenges during stressful times at school. https://lnkd.in/e5RZRN76 #periods #school

Good to see the government delivering on its promise to introduce menopause action plans as part of the proposed Employment Rights Bill. It will be interesting to see if what these will look like will be set out clearly, and I believe it may take some time for the bill to be refined and become law. But for businesses over 250 employees this will be something that any Act looks set to introduce, so watch this space! #menopause #perimenopause https://lnkd.in/eJGj5Bbu

I've been a bit invisible here for the past month or so, celebrating my daughter's wedding and cruising around Italy and Croatia. Now, it's back to work and looking ahead to World Menopause Day on 18th October. This year's theme is Menopause Hormone Therapy (HRT), a topic that has been historically controversial due to past studies. The Women's Health Initiative Study in 2003 sparked global breast cancer fears, leading to a significant drop in HRT usage in the UK. Subsequent findings have revealed that HRT, especially body identical HRT, is a safe option for many women. Lifestyle factors like smoking, drinking, and obesity pose higher breast cancer risks than HRT usage, with the risk being around 4 in 1000 women. While HRT may not be suitable for everyone, particularly those with a familial risk of breast cancer, exploring the available information can help women make informed decisions. This October, let's delve into the details to empower more women to choose what's right for them. #mht #hrt #menopause #perimenopause #worldmenopauseday

Would women be happier and healthier if they menstruated forever? My first response to this is heck, no! As someone who is perimenopausal and over the average age for menopause, I am positively yearning for the end of years of menstrual issues starting when I was an early teen. Assuming that there are health benefits to delaying menopause (and the article indicates that the jury is still out on that), this then circles back to why it is that more funding and time is not spent looking into treatments for the whole host of menstruation issues that women may experience: from dysmenorrhea (painful periods) and menorrhagia (heavy menstrual bleeding) through to highly debilitating, and often hard to diagnose, endometriosis. Then there's perimenopause and menopause itself, which can bring a whole host of other symptoms for some women. Personally, I'd go for a period free life practising a healthy lifestyle and taking my HRT and supplements. But I'd love to know if anyone would like the idea of continued periods - share your thoughts! #menopause #perimenopause https://lnkd.in/gHtKqzWq