Every woman in the world is affected at one time or another by menopause. And yet, doctors are far from being sufficiently aware of this natural phenomenon, the Menopause Mandate women’s collective, made up of British MPs, doctors and celebrities, warned in Parliament on June 13. During a debate moderated by model Penny Lancaster, one Lucinda testified in particular that she had to wait almost ten years before her menopause was diagnosed … by a dentist.
Lucinda, whose current age is unknown, was 41 years old when she began to suffer from “night sweats, mental confusion, intestinal problems, ear infections and other unexplained illnesses”reports the independent. Suspecting the arrival of menopause, she went to her treating doctor to relieve her pain. In vain. lucinda query “about eight times” before finally giving up, he tells the deputies.
For years, the unfortunate woman suffered from vaginal dryness, sleep disturbances, mood swings, hot flashes and weight gain, she explains, lamenting that these symptoms were “Swept” by your GP.
Came for gingivitis, left with a diagnosis of menopause
Nine years after these manifestations began, Lucinda goes to the dentist for gingivitis. This is where the practitioner makes the diagnosis she has been waiting for nearly a decade, finally allowing her access to the proper treatment. “I went to the dentist who told me that my gum disease was related to a drop in estrogen levels”she remembers. The professional then explains that this was common among women approaching fifty and often a harbinger of menopause.
After this, the patient may finally be prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The latter consists of administering natural hormones (estrogens, progesterone, sometimes both) to replace those that the ovaries can no longer produce on their own once menopause has arrived.
Based on this testimony, the Menopause Mandate group took the opportunity to ask this “that general practitioners and other health workers are ‘adequately educated’ about menopause and so prescribe appropriate treatments.” “We can’t expect GPs to know everything, but we want all GPs to have basic knowledge,” insisted Dr. Juliet Balfour, a specialist in menopause in the United Kingdom.
Various and varied symptoms.
Menopause characterizes the period in a woman’s life when her periods stop for good because the ovaries stop secreting hormones. It is an unpleasant stage that causes various problems such as hot flashes, insomnia, fatigue, vaginal dryness, genitourinary disorders, weight gain and, above all, the risk of developing certain diseases. Menopause tends to increase the risk of cardiovascular disorders or osteoporosis (bone loss). It is preceded by perimeopause, which most often occurs around age 47 and lasts about four years. This phase is manifested by irregular periods, tense breasts and irritable mood a few days before, as well as the first hot flashes and night sweats. What Lucinda suffered when her GP ignored her pain.
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