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Menopause - Management
Overview of management
- Assess the stage of the menopause to determine whether the woman is perimenopausal, postmenopausal, or has a premature menopause (less than 45 years of age).
- Assess the symptoms and their severity: (e.g. hot flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness).
- Refer women if they:
- Present with clinical features suggestive of cervical or endometrial cancer.
- Are less than 40 years of age at presentation.
- Would like hormone replacement therapy (HRT) but have a contraindication to it (e.g. current of past breast or endometrial cancer).
- Offer lifestyle advice to all women with menopausal symptoms.
- Offer treatment with (HRT) if, the woman has been given advice about the risks and benefits of HRT, has no contraindications to HRT and would like treatment. See:
- Offer alternative treatments with antidepressants or clonidine if HRT is inappropriate, see Management without HRT.
- Offer HRT or the combined oral contraceptive pill if the woman is younger than 45 years old, see Management of premature menopause.
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