Voices grow for a rethink on menopause treatment

Mrs Lenehan said she had tried multiple alternative remedies to treat her symptoms but none of them worked until she tried HRT.

"I went on it and it completely changed my life," she said.

"It wiped out all my menopausal symptoms."

Then she was diagnosed with breast cancer that doctors said was "more than likely" caused by the hormone treatment.

"That was a bit of a slap in the face to have that," she said.

Now the Warrnambool, Victoria, woman is one of many warning others about the effects of HRT treatment for menopause.

In a series of articles published in The Lancet, researchers found that there was an over-reliance on medical intervention when treating menopausal symptoms, particularly relying on HRT.

While research found that HRT could be effective for treating symptoms such as hot flushes as well as potentially improving sleep and mood, evidence on the benefits for other symptoms associated with menopause was lacking.

Side effects of using HRT also include an increased risk of developing breast cancer.

Jean Hailes for Women's Health CEO Dr Sarah White said treatment for menopause needed to be balanced.

"We need to be careful not to medicalise what is a natural transition... because it actually can do harm," she said.

"We also need to be really careful that we don't then somehow say, 'you're weak if you're taking menopause hormone therapy' because that's not the case either."

Series co-author Royal Women's Hospital Professor Martha Hickey said women experiencing menopause needed a more personalised approach to their treatment that could range from medication to psychological intervention.

"Our series calls for an individualised approach where women are empowered with accurate, consistent and impartial information," Professor Hickey said.

Australian Women's Health Alliance chair Bonney Corbin said there also needed to be a focus on destigmatising discussions on menopause.

"So much of that still focuses on a medical intervention around menopause when that's part of the solution, but it's not all of it," she said.

"We should be able to talk about it just like we talk about pregnancy or... menstruation or... breastfeeding.

"These things need to be a part of everyday conversation without fear of repercussions or workplace discrimination or community stigma."

For women in rural areas accessing treatment was an ongoing issue.

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists board member Dr Jared Watts said his patients in the Kimberly region of Western Australia have been effected by menopause medication "shortages."

He said supply chain issues caused by the pandemic were still being felt in regional areas, particularly for women's health.

"It's feels that women's health has been definitely put low priority," he said.

"The small little rural pharmacies are having issues getting a hold of treatments and women are going without.

"If there's a two week delay, sometimes they're suffering for those two weeks while those pharmacies try and it get back in."

Sharon Lenehan was unsure about recommending HRT treatment to women going through menopause.

"Would I do it again? I don't know," she said.

"I think it's an individual's decision, if you've certainly got no quality in life and it gives you some life back.

"I would say though... be very [vigilant]".