Ellen Fallows, a lifestyle medicine specialist due to join Welbeck Oxford in 2027, is calling for more comprehensive menopause care and clearer information about its potential long-term health effects.
Her comments coincide with World Menopause Awareness Month.
Fallows said awareness of perimenopause and menopause has increased, but discussion remains too narrowly focused on a limited range of symptoms.
She described World Menopause Day as a chance to highlight the condition and encourage women experiencing symptoms to seek advice.
According to Fallows, awareness efforts should also explain how menopause may influence broader long-term health.
Hot flushes, irregular periods and reduced libido are among the symptoms commonly associated with menopause.
Fallows said the women she speaks with are generally more concerned about how hormonal changes affect daily life.
Many, she added, want to regain their previous mental and physical sense of themselves, while addressing a decline in libido is a less pressing priority.
The psychological consequences of menopause were also central to Fallows’s remarks.
She said hormonal changes can have a profound effect and noted that women experiencing severe symptoms have historically sometimes been treated as though they had psychiatric illnesses.
She said this misdiagnosis illustrates the scale of menopause’s potential influence on mental wellbeing.
Fallows also argued against a uniform approach because every woman experiences menopause differently.
She said personalised care is necessary to reflect individual symptoms and needs.
Hormone replacement therapy can provide benefits beyond the relief of symptoms for some women.
These benefits include supporting bone density, heart health and muscle strength.
Progesterone, which Fallows described as another important hormone, helps protect the womb and may also benefit mood, sleep and emotional wellbeing.
One of the most common concerns about HRT is the risk of breast cancer.
Fallows said this risk should be assessed alongside a woman’s overall health, lifestyle and medical history, rather than being considered in isolation.
She maintained that access to clear, evidence-based information is essential if women are to make informed decisions about their care.
Regular HRT reviews were another element of Fallows’s recommendations.
There is no fixed age at which treatment has to be stopped, she said, adding that menopause can provide an opportunity to manage symptoms while taking a proactive approach to long-term health and wellbeing.
Fallows is due to join the medical team at Welbeck Oxford in 2027.
The new private specialist healthcare centre is located in Jordan Hill and has received more than £30 million in investment.
Its aim is to provide integrated care across multiple medical specialities.