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7 November 2024
As the lead organisation for CBT in the UK and Ireland, BABCP welcomes the release of the latest NICE Guidelines on the identification and management of Menopause. We are pleased to see the emphasis on an individualised, tailored approach to supporting women in making informed choices about their care, with the updated guidelines also providing the best evidence for healthcare professionals offering services to women with Menopause symptoms.
We are particularly pleased that our contributions to the consultation process have been considered, with updates clarifying the evidence for Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (CBT) delivered specifically for Menopause included in the final Guidelines. It is also more apparent that CBT is an option for women who are also using HRT as a complementary treatment for the management of menopause symptoms. This is an important development.
We agree with NICE, who say: “Women need to feel confident that they will be offered advice and options that meet their needs, and that they will be supported to make the choices that are right for them.”
We want to see commitment to investing in NHS services in response to this evidence, to ensure that this care is available and accessible to women from all backgrounds. This includes recruitment and training of staff to work specifically in providing evidence-based and Menopause-specific treatments including psychological therapies.
The Guidelines recommend HRT for hot flushes and night sweats (known as vasomotor symptoms), and advises GPs to tailor information about its benefits and risks based on age, individual circumstances, and any potential risk factors. It also recommends that for people over 40, healthcare professionals should consider Menopause-specific CBT as an option for vasomotor symptoms associated with Menopause in addition to HRT, or for people for whom HRT is not advised, or for those who prefer not to take HRT.
BABCP is grateful to our individual members who took part in the NICE consultation process, as well as our Women's Equality & Gender Diversity Special Interest Group in guiding our joint responses with the Association for Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy, which have informed the Guidelines released today. We are developing guidelines for our members and planning training events to support professional development and keeping up to date with this updated guidance on Menopause.
BABCP’s Senior Clinical Advisor Helen Macdonald said: “This is an important step forward in promoting evidence-based health care for women experiencing Menopause symptoms, recognising the need for more public knowledge of treatments that work, such as CBT. We support personalised and accessible services that provide evidence-based options to women.”
You can read the NICE Guidelines here.
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