Menopausal hot flushes and night sweats are under-assessed and undertreated in the primary care setting, research has suggested.
The US-based study identified significant gaps in menopause care, particularly in relation to moderate or higher vasomotor symptoms, resulting in many women not receiving the treatment they need.
Related Article: Nursing associates should not work in maternity, says NHSE and nursing bodies
The findings, published in the journal Menopause, highlight an area of opportunity for new care models which better identify postmenopausal women who could benefit from treatment of menopause symptoms.
Approximately 75 per cent of women experience hot flushes as they go through menopause, and timely identification and treatment of these symptoms can vastly improve the lives of many women.
The study was a retrospective study using data from adult women who reported moderate or higher vasomotor symptoms in a Mayo Clinic survey conducted between March and June 2021. The findings were compared against primary care records to determine whether the symptoms were adequately documented in electronic health records (ECRs) for the women who visited a primary care provider during this period. In addition, the researchers examined the percentage of vasomotor symptoms recorded in primary care records over two years between May 2019 and May 2021.
The findings show that hot flushes and night sweats are often not documented in EHRs. Of the 229 participants in the study, less than one quarter (22.7 per cent) of women had their symptoms documented in their EHRs. This is despite 60 per cent of the women having their symptoms recorded in their clinic notes from their primary care visit, showing inconsistency in how these symptoms are documented.
Related Article: Morning after pill will be available on NHS from community pharmacies
The analysis also revealed that amongst women who were eligible for hormone therapy (HRT) and had no medical reason for not taking the medication, only 6.1 per cent of patients were using HRT. Nonhormone prescription therapy use for these women was higher at 14.8 per cent.
The researchers suggest there is a concerning lack of discussion and consideration for appropriate management of hot flushes in primary care and say the findings show a need for better methods to identify midlife women with menopause symptoms, allowing appropriate treatment options, including HRT, to be discussed and offered.
Related Article: NHS must meet health needs of Black African and Black Caribbean communities
Dr Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society and one of the authors of the study, said: ‘This study highlights gaps in menopause symptom documentation in the electronic health record and in treatment of symptoms. Additional efforts are needed to educate women and the healthcare professionals caring for them on the importance of identifying and treating bothersome menopause symptoms in the primary care setting.’
