The Menopause Charity has been launched to support women and healthcare professionals and is here to offer practical help with symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, body aches, mood change, bleeding changes, anxiety and brain fog.

The Menopause Charity has collaborated with FourteenFish and not-for-profit Newson Health Research and Education to offer free access for ONE Health Professional per GP practice across the UK to an evidence-based “Confidence in the Menopause” course. This would usually be £135.

General practice is a hugely demanding place, and education needs to be easy to access, relevant, evidence-based and fun. This online menopause education programme aims to deliver that in a simple modular package consisting of numerous lectures and a series of video-based e-consultations with MCQ assessment. This is CPD accredited with a certificate received after completing each section.

“As a working GP I cannot stress enough that I have seen first-hand the extreme suffering by women and their families around and after the menopause. It is vital to deliver regular ongoing quality evidence-based education to resolve this problem. Gone are the days of collecting certificates to show competence, we have embraced new clever technology to clearly demonstrate real learning and improve delivery of care directly to our patients.” Dr Mark Coombe, GP and Educational Director at FourteenFish.

The charity’s founder, GP, and Menopause Specialist Dr Louise Newson said: “Far too many healthcare professionals receive no or suboptimal menopause training and education, resulting in many being confused about safe HRT prescribing. This urgently needs to change to improve the future health of women. There are health risks of denying HRT including an increased risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and dementia, yet only the minority of menopausal women are prescribed HRT. Prescribing body-identical HRT is clinically safe, cost effective and provides many health benefits too. The Menopause Charity is committed to improving menopause education – all GP practices in the UK will have access to menopause training.”

Dr Radhika Vohra, a GP and educator, and Trustee of The Menopause Charity said: “As a GP during this pandemic, I’ve seen the fundamental role Primary Care plays in the lives of our patients. Women have a had a particularly tough time, suffering from the misconceptions around perimenopause and menopause. As we’re expected to live and work longer, supporting other generations, we must ensure that all women who suffer from hormone deficiency in menopause are given the best care, counselling and treatment. This won’t just help women, but the future of our health service.”

The programme delivers knowledge to consult, prescribe and monitor women with hormones changes due to the menopause, and empower the management of complex cases such as those with family history of cancer or clot disease safely and confidently. You will also get peer support and can submit queries through the community section.

To access the course click here to Join: Free Access to ‘Confidence in the Menopause’