Monash University launches 'menopause toolkit'

The world’s first toolkit for GPs to diagnose the menopause has been published by Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.

The Practitioner Toolkit for Managing the Menopause has been published in the journal Climacteric and includes a diagnostic tool. It also features a list of the different approved hormone therapies that could be used to treat women experiencing menopause.

Researchers used existing studies of menopause alongside their own clinical experience and diagnostic algorithms to put together the tool, which is intended for use in GP surgeries. It also takes into account each patient’s individual circumstances, such as their medical history and factors which could put them at risk.

Professor Susan Davis, who led the research team at Monash University’s School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, highlighted:

"Based on feedback from patients and doctors we realised there's widespread confusion, not only in how to determine when menopause starts but also prescribing appropriate treatment to help with side effects,”

She added that there are plenty of thorough guidelines on menopause but that GPs rarely have the time to go through these detailed documents with their patients.