Menopause 'isn't a disease and is over-medicalised': Experts accuse industry of ... trends now

Menopause is not a disease, according to researchers who say that industry has 'hijacked' an awareness movement to 'sell services and products'.

In a provocative paper published in The Lancet, academics claimed 'commercial interests' have led to the natural change that typically affects women between 45 and 55 of being 'over-medicalised'.

Experts reacting to the claims today said celebrity 'horror stories' surrounding the menopause have 'sensationalised' the topic, making middle-aged women 'scared' about a biological inevitability.

Others, however, warned labelling menopause as a normal part of ageing 'ignores the very real suffering of many women with symptoms'. 

Writing in the respected medical journal, a coalition of researchers involving teams from Australia and the UK said many issues attributed to the menopause could be a result of ageing.

Changes in mood, brain function and sexual problems may be caused or worsened by stressful life events, such as raising children, work or caring for elderly relatives, they argued.

They suggested a new approach based on 'health empowerment' is needed, where women are given the knowledge, confidence and self-determination to self-manage their health.

'Although management of symptoms is important, a medicalised view of menopause can be disempowering for women, leading to over-treatment and overlooking potential positive effects, such as better mental health with age and freedom from menstruation, menstrual disorders, and contraception,' they wrote.

Study author Professor Martha Hickey, from the University of Melbourne, told BBC Radio 4: 'It’s quite unfortunate, especially in the UK, that an increased public awareness and discussion about menopause has been somewhat hijacked by an industry of selling services and products.'

She also said her team is arguing that 'menopause is not a disease'.

'In a society that has very strong feelings about ageing and women, this is a disease which is thought to herald decline and decay amongst them,' she said. 

Reacting to the Lancet papers, Rachel Weiss, founder of the Menopause Café, said we needed to shift away from celebrity 'horror stories' sensationalising the change.  

'The pendulum has swung from "put up and shut up" about menopause to sensationalising it,' she told The Times.

'Now we need to swing the pendulum to the middle and normalise menopause, so that... a diverse experience of menopause is depicted in the media, not just celebrity horror stories.'

But Dr Louise Newson, a GP and menopause specialist running Newson Health, cautioned about framing menopause as simply a 'natural' part of ageing. 

'Menopause is more than a collection of symptoms,' she said. 

'It is a cardiometabolic and inflammatory condition which leads to an increased risk of numerous diseases.

'Talking about menopause as being a "natural transition" or part of "healthy ageing" ignores the very real suffering of many women with menopausal symptoms.'

The authors of the Lancet pieces also say that medics should consider women's lifestyles, such as sleep, alcohol intake and smoking when advising on alleviating menopausal symptoms. 

They also, controversially advocate for alternatives to HRT like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and hypnosis, they said.

While HRT has been shown to improve sleep, memory, and concentration in women taking it for hot flushes, it is 'unlikely to have any

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