NICE summary – Menopause: diagnosis and management

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has released new guidance on menopause.

The guideline, Menopause: diagnosis and management, has had key areas summarised for primary care professionals and will be distributed with Nursing in Practice, The Commissioning Review and Pulse.

The summary, produced with approval from NICE, addresses the diagnosis and management of menopause.

It covers women in perimenopause and postmenopause, and the particular needs of women with premature ovarian insufficiency and women with hormone-sensitive cancer (for example, breast cancer). The guideline concentrates on the clinical management of menopause-related symptoms, considers both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical treatments, includes a health economic analysis, and reviews the benefits and adverse effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). It applies to all settings in which NHS services are provided.

Commenting on the NICE guideline, Dr David Richmond, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “This guideline is a milestone for both healthcare professionals and women and will help ensure that the best possible care is provided in the diagnosis and treatment of menopause, a biological stage that every woman experiences to some extent in their lives.

“For some women, menopausal symptoms can be extremely debilitating and dramatically impact upon their quality of life. Compiled by the leading experts in the field and a comprehensive review of all of the existing evidence, we hope that this guideline will not only support healthcare professionals but also provide women with the necessary information to empower them to make informed decisions about their choice of treatment.”