Girls flock to costly non-public menopause clinics attributable to NHS ready lists, survey suggests

Girls are flocking to costly non-public menopause clinics as a result of lack of NHS care accessible, a survey has urged.

The ballot discovered that, previously yr, 5 instances as many ladies sought paid-for medical assist for signs resembling sizzling flushes and sexual discomfort in contrast with the earlier yr.

In July 2021, simply two per cent of girls admitted choosing non-public therapy. Now this determine has jumped to at least one in ten.

The outcomes of the survey of almost 1,000 girls by non-public On-line Menopause Centre suggests this development could also be attributable to dissatisfaction with NHS providers.

4 out of ten girls rated their NHS expertise of menopause care as poor or very poor, in contrast with only one in ten in 2021.

Practically a 3rd mentioned they didn’t really feel supported by their GP when it got here to their menopause well being.

Dr Philippa Kaye, a high-profile GP who focuses on bettering girls’s well being, mentioned the rise in demand may additionally be due to celebrities resembling Davina McCall advocating for extra assist for menopausal girls.

‘Elevated public consciousness is encouraging extra girls to hunt therapy – that is good because it means extra are asking for the assistance they want,’ she mentioned. 

‘However, on the identical time, GP providers are below large stress attributable to workers shortages. NHS ready instances to see a menopause specialist could be as much as a yr.

‘This has created an ideal storm the place sufferers might select to pay to obtain therapy at a non-public clinic.’

There has additionally been a regarding enhance in girls being prescribed antidepressants as a therapy choice, with 5 per cent receiving it in 2021 in contrast with 13 per cent in 2022.

Dr Kaye mentioned: ‘Antidepressants can be utilized to deal with menopausal signs, however for nervousness and melancholy within the perimenopause they shouldn’t be provided as a primary line therapy.’

The survey discovered that greater than 70 per cent really feel there may be not adequate menopause data freely accessible to them.

Dr Kaye added: ‘Girls’s well being stays under-supported and that may result in girls feeling as if their considerations in regards to the menopause are dismissed by well being professionals, together with GPs.

‘I want to see extra unbiased information on this topic, notably on the explanations for going non-public, so we are able to enhance entry to menopause therapy for everyone, no matter their capacity to pay.’