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GP and women's health professionals study day, UCLH, London (2025)

16/11/2025

Looking forward to joining the South London Menopause Meeting next week to discuss the overlap between menopause and autoimmunity.

We have always known that autoimmune diseases have a strong association with premature ovarian insufficiency or early menopause suggesting that immunological mechanisms play a pivotal role in pathophysiology.

What is also interesting is that ovarian function often fluctuates when POI is associated with immune diagnoses or positive antibody markers.

Let’s catch up and discuss what we know so far (a lot remains unknown) and recent guideline recommendations on the 26th!

Thank you Mr Bassel Wattar for putting together this educational event.

14/11/2025

📣 We want to hear from YOU!

Diary of a Kidney Warrior Podcast is planning a special listener-led episode exploring everything about menopause and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Got a question you’ve always wanted to ask about menopause and CKD? 🌸💭

👉🏽👉 Click the link to send in your question.
🗓️ Deadline: Sunday 16 November

https://diaryofakidneywarrior.getform.com/ymy2y

13/11/2025

The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) provides information and support services for those affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA), their families, friends, carers and health professionals.
Join on Wednesday 26th November at 7pm for information about menopause, the commonalities between menopause and RA, ways to manage it and much, much more.
https://nras.org.uk/event/nras-live-menopause-ra/

10/11/2025

Bone and muscle health are always very important but even more so when menopause transition begins. About one in two women in the UK will suffer a fracture after the age of 50 and a 50-year-old woman has about 2.8% risk of death related
to hip fracture during her lifetime.

Osteoporosis does not cause symptoms and may only be discovered after a fracture happens. Prevention is key! From healthcare professionals point of view, all women should be offered lifestyle advice including balanced diet, adequate protein, calcium and vitamin D intake, regular exercise (resistance and weight bearing), quitting smoking and limiting alcohol intake.

Individual risk assessment should be carried out regarding risk of developing osteoporosis and osteoporosis related fractures. Bone mineral density assessment should be offered on an individualised basis following risk assessment.

HRT has a protective effect against osteoporosis and bone fragility fractures. It stimulates osteoblastic action and inhibits osteoclast activity. Many clinical guidelines recommend that HRT should be considered one of the first-line medical treatment options for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in women with premature ovarian insufficiency or early menopause and menopausal women below the age of 60 years.

The national osteoporosis guidelines group (NOGG), UK also recommends that for patients in whom treatment is indicated, offer antiresorptive therapy with oral
bisphosphonates (alendronate or risedronate) or intravenous zoledronate, or in postmenopausal women age ≤60 years - hormone replacement therapy.

Discussing benefits versus side effects/risks of each treatment option is important so that women can make an informed choice.

https://ecronicon.net/assets/ecgy/pdf/ECGY-11-00784.pdf

https://www.nogg.org.uk/sites/nogg/download/NOGG-Summary-of-main-recommendations-2024.pdf?v4

09/11/2025

Our next Menopause Research and Education Fund (MREF) menopause management course is on Nov 27.�It has been updated and covers everything from the basics to managing complex cases.�It is presented by British Menopause Society registered menopause specialists and a pelvic floor physiotherapist.�It’s online but you can watch later, is worth 8 CPD points and costs just £20 to help support the charity.

At MREF, our aim is to provide evidence based good quality menopause management education to as many as we can at very affordable fees. Please share with any healthcare professional who may benefit from joining 🙏

Simply register on eventbrite.co.uk or
Links -
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1574218643339?aff=oddtdtcreator

https://mref.uk

08/11/2025

Here is a research study from University College London - A multimodal study of menopausal ageing focusing on hormones, health and habits. The study will involve group discussion sessions at UCL.
Please do take part or share with someone who may wish to take part 🙏.
Scan the QR code or link - https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=_oivH5ipW0yTySEKEdmlwoTflfXjTTVHg99cZbAd9thUNk5WQ1JLNzNBM1owOVRGSVhZRFRHTEtLVi4u&origin=QRCode
For more information contact - f.ronca@ucl.ac.uk

07/11/2025

It takes an effort from so many to keep the repro-endocrine clinics running and deliver a service that patients deserve. Forever grateful to the admin team - Kate Anyanwu, Deanna Craig-Bennett, Loocie Trinh and Evangelia Schoina, our healthcare assistants - Carla Bolman, Afreen Begum, Naheed Akhter & Leilani Agilada and the wonderful nurses - Sherin James, Monica Mbao and Jeana Alaba who work tirelessly to keep us all going in the right direction! Many thanks to you all for your help and support over the years 🙏

05/11/2025

is the national fertility awareness week in the UK and it is marked to raise awareness, challenge perceptions and support causes related to fertility awareness and help.

The world health organisation estimates that about one in six people worldwide are affected by subfertility. Despite all the medical and social advancements across the world in the last few decades, far too often, people struggle in silence with fertility issues.

Subfertility and the need for fertility treatments are often shrouded in shame and taboo, leading to feelings of inadequacy and social isolation for many who experience them across the world.

We all need to continue to strive hard in our roles to provide adequate support, information/guidance and good quality evidence based yet compassionate fertility care (not driven by commercial interests) to people who need it.

Every November, the fertility community comes together to put the focus firmly on fertility.
Here is a link from fertilitynetworkuk.
https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/national-fertility-awareness-week/

04/11/2025

Menopause transition will potentially affect 50% or more of the population, however education on this topic for undergraduate medical students appears to be limited. We are conducting a short survey to gain better understanding of the extent of menopause education in medical schools in the UK so that we can use this information to advocate for a change in the current curriculum as needed.
Thank you Riya Philip from the University of Glasgow for taking this forward.
If you are able to participate, please click - https://forms.gle/J4BBPesijGX7g7SX6
or share with someone who may be interested.

03/11/2025

NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) issued its first guideline on menopause diagnosis and management in November, ten years ago (2015). It was long overdue.

It was a pivotal moment which transformed menopause care in the UK. Those of us in the menopause clinics saw increasing numbers of women coming to GPs and Gynaecologists asking for the right information and support.

The guideline covered the largely clinical nature of diagnosis, judicious use of blood tests in certain situations, the drug and non-drug treatment options that could help with physical and psychological symptoms, and provided clarity on the benefits and risks of taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) concluding that - for most women benefits outright risks when HRT is used as a treatment for menopause symptoms.

The first version was a real break through. In my personal opinion, the subsequent versions/drafts have failed to live up to the expectations.

Nevertheless, a big thanks to the guideline group at the time for all the fantastic efforts at producing a document that changed clinical care for menopause for good. Here is a pic from the 2015 BBC programme where Victoria Derbyshire spoke to Prof Melanie Davies, consultant gynecologist at University College London Hospital who worked on those guidelines and Nia Fisher, Sujata Barot and Diane Danzebrink who campaigned tirelessly for better menopause care.
Let’s hope we can continue to make progress in the right direction so that everyone has access to good quality scientific evidence based menopause clinical care and information in future without any barriers.
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23/history -development-on-12-november-2015

Last year, we wrote about how publication of new scientific data reporting a more favourable benefit/risk ratio with HRT, production of the national guidance and an increased awareness via social media have led to the significant rise in HRT prescribing and changes to menopause care in the United Kingdom. Here is the link -
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39378060/

02/11/2025

Mood changes and psychological health conditions in relation to hormonal shifts in women are receiving the much needed attention in recent times. Whether it is premenstrual dysphoric disorder or postpartum depression or mood changes during menopause transition or psychosis in relation to hormones changes - there is a long way to go before all women receive the right information and support across the lifespan when they have increased
vulnerability, but there is certainly a growing interest in this area.

NICE guidelines for managing mood disorders during menopause focus on an individualised care plan using a combination of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), alongside lifestyle adjustments (discussing all options with the individual, considering their preferences and medical history). Not dismissing symptoms lies at the heart of this. SSRI or SNRI antidepressant medications alongside psychological support have their unique role where clinical depression is diagnosed or HRT or alternatives are ineffective on their own.

In this podcast, Kathryn Colas and me talk through some of the basics of how hormone changes can impact mood during menopause and what can be done to help. Kathryn shares some of her own experiences and the shifts that she has noticed in this area over the years. Thank you for the opportunity, Kathryn.

https://www.spreaker.com/episode/menopause-and-your-mood--68310308

https://kathryncolasacademy.com/kca-news/f/menopause-and-your-mood

30/10/2025

Many of us have come across the ‘resistant o***y syndrome’ - a condition that remains a clinical challenge and an area of controversy with even the terminology disputed by some.

The condition is not common, overlaps with premature ovarian insufficiency and is usually characterised by elevated serum gonadotropins and normal ovarian reserve often leading to menstrual disturbances and subfertility. When ovarian stimulation does not work for patients, alternative fertility treatments or options become necessary.

Here is a useful review on resistant o***y syndrome from Hong Yi et al. which looks at the aetiology (role of FSHR mutations, and autoimmune disorders), possible follicle maturation defects/anovulation, need for hormone replacement therapy and the fertility treatment options including controlled ovarian stimulation, in vitro maturation and donor egg treatments. The authors suggest that patients with FSHR mutations have poor ovarian stimulation outcomes; 2) follicle stimulating hormone and luteinising hormone levels poorly predict ovarian stimulation outcomes; 3) both recombinant and urinary gonadotropins may be effective in ovarian stimulation ; 4) the dosage of exogenous gonadotropins is not the key to successful stimulation and 5) in vitro maturation is a feasible option for patients carrying FSHR mutations or unsuccessful stimulation cycles.

We still have a lot more to learn about this endocrine scenario but as the evidence and experience keeps evolving in the background - we can counsel and support these patients better.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40171200/

GP and women's health professionals study day

16/11/2025

14/11/2025

13/11/2025

10/11/2025

09/11/2025

08/11/2025

07/11/2025

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30/10/2025

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