Dr Louise Newson
@drlouisenewson • 60,426 subscribers
GP & Menopause Specialist https://t.co/Jk5mrrwwqv Media [email protected]
Videos
This is Kieran. He is a GP and the husband of Lynsey who’s story I shared with you a few weeks ago. For those of you who don’t know Lynsey’s story already, her mental health deteriorated rapidly during her perimenopause. She sustained multiple fractures after trying to end her life and was in a trauma hospital for a few weeks. She was prescribed numerous drugs and even received nine sessions of ECT without any improvement. Kieran had to battle to finally have HRT prescribed for her which thankfully has seen her improve to the extent she no longer experiences these intrusive thoughts. Sadly, Lynsey’s story isn’t a one off. There are many women who experience a decline in their mental health during menopause and feel the only answer is to take their own life. This ‘insight’ that Kieran describes here is something I see quite often and it’s very different to how people usually present when they are mentally unwell. It’s really important that there’s more support for these women and that women’s hormones are not overlooked #WorldSuicidePreventionDay
Dr Louise Newson379,320 views • 2 years ago
For anyone reading the headlines about HRT and dementia this morning, please watch this. The study referenced is an observational study so does not prove cause and effect. Also, it’s mainly looking at women who are taking older types of HRT which are very different to the types of HRT we prescribe now. Other studies have shown that people who take body identical HRT have a lower risk of dementia. What it does show is that we urgently need to do more research in this area.
Dr Louise Newson271,581 views • 3 years ago
Many women I see and speak to have been refused HRT for no medical reason. They have often been prescribed other medication to try and improve their menopausal symptoms including antidepressants, painkillers, sleeping tablets, anti hypertensives and statins. I have also seen women who have been given gabapentin, quetiapine and also ketamine for their low moods associated with their menopause. In this podcast, Jo talks openly about the medication she was given and the numerous menopausal symptoms she was experiencing which led her to a very dark place. It was only when she received the right dose and type of HRT she improved and has now stopped all these other medications. Receiving perimenopause and menopause advice and treatment is individualised. All women deserve to be listened to and receive the right type of HRT for them.
Dr Louise Newson201,380 views • 3 years ago
I recently went on This Morning to discuss the impact of menopause in the workplace, and actually this issue would be a lot less common if women were able to access the evidence based treatment they so often want. Fans, uniform changes and time off work aren’t going to address the underlying cause nor will they improve the function of our brains. We have recently uploaded an article to my balance menopause website about menopause and the law, which covers things like what responsibilities your employer has to look after your health and wellbeing, and tips on what to do if your boss isn’t being supportive. You can read it here:
Dr Louise Newson140,297 views • 2 years ago
If a man had to undergo surgery to have their testes removed (which would mean they wouldn’t produce testosterone), do you think they would leave hospital without a hormone replacement plan? Of course they wouldn’t! The menopause, and women’s health generally actually, is hugely under funded, under resourced and under researched and it’s really frustrating because so many women end up suffering as a result. This needs to change and I will not stop my work until it does!
Dr Louise Newson117,050 views • 2 years ago
I often have women messaging me to ask if there is a cut off age for taking HRT, or to ask what age they need to stop HRT. The answer is that there is usually no set length of time you should take HRT for - the menopause is a long-term hormone deficiency so women can usually take HRT forever to replace these missing hormones. However, after the Women’s Health Initiative Study was published in 2002, many women have resisted taking HRT, especially after age 65 years, because of fears of perceived risks. However, a new study has been published today showing that these fears are unfounded. The study also showed that women who took oestrogen only HRT beyond the age of 65 was associated with significant risk reductions in mortality, breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, congestive heart failure, venous thromboembolism, atrial fibrillation, acute myocardial infarction, and dementia. There were also benefits to future health in women who took combination oestrogen and progesterone. The most benefit was with transdermal oestradiol and progesterone. If you haven’t yet read the study, I would really recommend you do. The link is here: It’s also worth listening to this podcast I recorded with Dr Anna Chiles who is a GP and works with us at Newson Health as a menopause specialist, as we talk more about continuing HRT for many years during that: This article we have on our @balancemenopause website is also worth a read:
Dr Louise Newson95,490 views • 2 years ago
Often people think the menopause is just a time that you have to get through and then you’re at the other side. But actually it is a permanent change to your hormone levels which can have an impact on your future health as well as your wellbeing. There’s lots of helpful resources on my free balance Menopause app and website that can support you
Dr Louise Newson79,886 views • 3 years ago
If you’ve seen the headlines this morning debating whether menopause is a disease and being over-medicalised, this video explains my thoughts. Menopause is more than a collection of symptoms; it is a cardiometabolic and inflammatory condition which leads to an increased risk of numerous diseases. Menopause has been ‘medicalised’ for years – including with antidepressants, antipsychotics, painkillers, sleeping tablets, anticholinergics to treat bladder symptoms, and heart medications to lower cholesterol, reduce blood pressure and control palpitations. The first-line treatment for menopausal symptoms is body-identical HRT. Studies have shown that when women are given the right dose and type of hormones, their symptoms improve, and they have a lower future risk of numerous long-term inflammatory diseases associated with menopause including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, dementia, and depression as well as early death. Talking about menopause as being a ‘natural transition’ or part of ‘healthy ageing’ ignores the very real suffering of many women with menopausal symptoms.
Dr Louise Newson59,391 views • 2 years ago
I’m sure by now you will have read the headlines about Avanti giving its menopausal staff a ‘menopause gift bag’ that included a fan for hot sweats, a jelly baby sweet “in case you feel like biting someone’s head off”, a tissue “if you’re feeling a bit emotional” and a paperclip “to help you keep it all together”. Menopause symptoms can be debilitating for some women and it’s not something to trivialise in this way, especially when we know 1 in ten women end up leaving their job due to their menopause symptoms. If the bag is a delaying tactic, I’m horrified. But if it’s a way of people learning more and hopefully being able to signpost them to the right treatments, then I think that’s good. Only a minority of menopausal women are receiving HRT which is first line evidence based treatment for the majority of menopausal women. It is therefore so important that we’re not just allowing people flexible time or reducing their hours, or women are simply talking about their symptoms – we’ve got to be more proactive into enabling women to understand what treatments are available, in the same way that we would if they had any other condition that was affecting them in the workplace.
Dr Louise Newson53,812 views • 2 years ago
You may have seen the headlines this morning with yet another paper showing that women who have an earlier menopause are at a higher risk of dementia. This is something we have known for decades now and it’s because oestradiol has protective effects all around the body - including the brain - so when a women has an earlier menopause, she is without her hormones for a longer period of time which leads to this increased risk. The paper I am discussing here talks more about the science behind this and I would really recommend you all read it. I will share a link in my story now. It is crucial we do more research in this area and allow more women to have access to hormones if that is what they want.
Dr Louise Newson49,948 views • 2 years ago
Last week Lynsey very bravely told her perimenopause story on This Morning She became very anxious and low over a few weeks and ended up being sectioned under the Mental Health Act by a psychiatrist and received many different medications and also Electroconvulsive Therapy. She did not improve and then ended up in a trauma hospital with a broken pelvis and spine. Her husband, Kieran, is a NHS GP who struggled for her to be prescribed HRT but when she was given HRT her mood improved and she felt better over a few weeks. She no longer takes antidepressants and other psychiatric medication and bravely shared her story to help other women. The mental health symptoms of perimenopause and menopause are common. So much needs to change. Women deserve a voice and low hormones need to be considered more as a reason for mental health symptoms.
Dr Louise Newson45,763 views • 2 years ago
You'll probably have seen in the news by now that there's a national shortage of Utrogestan. Dr Jo Sewell who is one of our Newson Health menopause specialists has filmed this video and we've also added an article on the Balance website to give you more information on what you can do in terms of alternatives:
Dr Louise Newson59,074 views • 3 years ago
When it comes to transdermal HRT (oestrogen delivered through the skin via a patch, gel or spray) absorption is key for getting relief from symptoms. It’s well documented there can be wide variation in how our bodies absorb oestrogen and our Newson Health audit data has shown the same. Two women could be on the same dose of oestrogen but be absorbing quite different amount through their skin. That’s why some women need higher doses of oestrogen than others to achieve the same benefits. It is therefore really important that everyone receives an individualised dose that’s right for them. A big part of figuring out which dose you need is being aware of your symptoms and how they are improving, so I would recommend you download my free balance Menopause app and track your symptoms - many women find this really helps with treatment conversations with their healthcare professional. Many women find that their dose needs altering - either increase or reduce - with time so having regular reviews are really important for women taking HRT.
Dr Louise Newson56,178 views • 3 years ago
The absorption of oestradiol from patches or gels can vary significantly between different women due to a variety of factors. Some women find they absorb better from patches rather than gels or for some women it is the other way round. My patches often crinkle and do not stick on well so after a few months of starting HRT, my consultant increased the dose to two patches as with one patch I was still having symptoms and my oestradiol blood test was low. This means that often different women will need different doses of oestrogen - in their patch, gel or spray - for the same amount to be absorbed into their bodies. HRT is not a “one size fits all” treatment. Individualisation of treatment is so important.
Dr Louise Newson43,512 views • 2 years ago
In the UK, only around 14% of menopausal women take HRT and this number usually shocks people. But as you can hear Dr Mary Claire Haver talk about here - in the US it is only 4% now, when just over 20 years ago it was around 40%. Much of this reduction in HRT use and the negativity regarding HRT stems from the misinterpretation of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study which was published in 2002. For those of you who don’t know much about this, in 1993, the WHI began a clinical trial looking at the health effects of women taking oestrogen-only or combined HRT compared to a placebo. In 2002, researchers halted the part of the study looking at women taking both oestrogen and progesterone (two hormones that decline during the perimenopause onwards) early over concerns there were small increased risks of breast cancer, heart disease, strokes and blood clots. This led to confusion and concern from doctors and women worldwide, and in the UK women taking HRT fell sharply. But even with the older versions of HRT, the WHI researchers have subsequently acknowledged that HRT is the most effective treatment for managing menopausal symptoms like hot flushes and that taking oestrogen alone reduces the risk of breast cancer by 23% and death by breast cancer by 40%. It is time we move on from the misinterpretation of this study and allow more women to access hormone replacement if that is what they want.
Dr Louise Newson39,122 views • 2 years ago
I attended the Royal College of Psychiatrists International Congress in Liverpool a few weeks ago and I wanted to share some really important clips from Professor Jayashri Kulkarni’s talk (who is a psychiatrist specialising in women’s mental health). Way too often, declining hormones are overlooked in women with low mood and depression, which can mean HRT isn’t offered. I see many women in my clinic who see a huge improvement in their mood after starting HRT so it’s really important we (women and healthcare professionals) take a holistic approach to treatment. HRT can be taken with antidepressants too.
Dr Louise Newson46,627 views • 3 years ago
Something a lot of women ask me about is what signs there are of testosterone deficiency. Current UK NHS guidelines recommend testosterone if you have severely reduced libido or hypoactive sexual desire disorder, but in my clinical experience (any many others too), women can also experience other symptoms as a result of their falling testosterone levels. Some of these include dysphoric mood (anxiety, irritability, depression), lack of wellbeing, physical fatigue, bone loss, muscle loss, changes in cognition, memory loss, insomnia, hot flashes, joint pains and urinary complaints including incontinence. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms despite taking HRT, then it may be worth exploring if testosterone would be beneficial for you. It is really important that you speak to a menopause specialist who has experience in testosterone prescribing about this though so your symptoms can be assessed properly.
Dr Louise Newson38,366 views • 2 years ago
When people say menopause is just a natural part of being a woman and that we just need to “get on with it”, I have a problem with that because why should women suffer with any symptoms when there are evidence-based treatments available that not only relieve these symptoms but also improve future health?
Dr Louise Newson45,332 views • 2 years ago