Alice Duffy
Founder/Medical Director at Health in Menopause – a boutique private medical clinic providing personalised medical care to women in midlife.
United Kingdom
Improvements in women’s health: Improved access to information – media, podcasts, TV, books etc Women are better informed More awareness in the workplace – menopause champions, menopause policies etc Sadly this has not been matched with improved access to evidence based treatment; we have HRT shortages in the UK and many women struggle to access the individualised care that they need.
Major challenges: Improved education for doctors and other HCPs caring for midlife women Increased awareness in the health community Better evidence based information to inform clinical practice – there are so many unanswered questions in women’s health. Improved financing of research to improve the knowledge base to ensure consistency of care to avoid confusion for women and deliver consistent evidence based care.
I think the catalyst to address the challenges will be an assembly of: Grassroots women – women are no longer prepared to be told that in their 50’s they are no longer of value in the workplace or society at large Doctors and HCPs who desperately want to help women but have been let down by the educational establishments in both undergraduate and postgraduate medicine Partners of women who are no longer prepared to watch their partners suffer In truth I fear that the driver will be economics – given the current pressures on the workforce we can little afford to lose experienced women from the workforce, we need them to remain financially independent and contributing to taxation, how else will we fund the NHS? I remain hopeful, and always will.
