Menopause expert ahead of Cork summit: 'Realising you are not going mad is a big thing'

A massive shift in a woman’s ability to function is the most common thing Dr Karen Soffe hears from her female patients in their 40s and 50’s.

“They say they just can’t manage it all any more, especially with the lack of sleep and the irritability they’re also experiencing,” she said.

There’s also a huge variation in the information out there among this cohort of women about what’s going in their bodies, she points out.

“Some come very well informed, and then others haven’t joined the dots at all. Recognising and understanding what’s happening and realising that you’re not going mad is a big thing,” she said.

Interestingly, she points out that many women who engage in healthy lifestyle changes, and maintain good mid-life cardiovascular health, can do almost as well as women who choose HRT to manage their symptoms.

Alcohol and smoking are shown to worsen hot-flushes and night sweats, sleep is also vital, while exercise will help bone density and it boosts serotonin, which essentially gives the same result as some antidepressants.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can also help some women manage symptoms such as flushing and anxiety.

“When you start to flush, your temperature doesn’t actually change, it’s an unpleasant sensation, so CBT can help with taking control of that. A book called Managing Hot Flushes And Night Sweats by Myra Hunter and Melanie Smith, is something I recommend to some patients,” said Dr Soffe.

A big issue she feels is that women are in search of perfection and can have high expectations of HRT, without realising it can cause its own issues such as heavy bleeding, low mood, bloating or nausea.

It’s a very individual thing, and certainly not a ‘one size fits all’ option.

“I sit down with them to assess their individual risk of things like heart disease, osteoporosis and breast cancer. 

We establish their symptoms and see what they can do to improve these risks and what could HRT do? Essentially asking the question - would taking HRT make their life better and/or longer?

“Many symptoms may not be improved by HRT at all, and the option to make a decision to take it at a future stage is usually going to be there for them,” she said.

For any woman who develops unexplained anxiety or depression for the first time during the perimenopause, HRT is something she would recommend.

“People at the highest risk of cardiovascular disease often benefit most from HRT,” she said.

Dr Soffe, who has worked as a GP in Tralee for over 20 years, is also a British Menopause Society accredited Menopause Expert and Trainer and is passionate about educating existing and trainee GPs and empowering them to provide high quality mid-life care to their patients.

She is also medical officer for the new Complex Menopause Service at Cork University Maternity Hospital, providing expert menopause care for those with complex needs who have been told they cannot take HRT for medical reasons.

She feels strongly that more needs to be done to help women in the workplace at this time of their lives, and pointed to a recent INMO survey on experiences of menopause, in which most respondents (82%) stated they had considered leaving work due to menopausal symptoms, with more than 1 in 10 (12%) of respondents already leaving or having left their profession as a result.

“We don’t want to give the impression that employing women over 40 is a hassle. Employers don’t have to be menopause experts, it’s tiny accommodations that will make a big difference.”

ABOUT THE NATIONAL MENOPAUSE SUMMIT IN CORK

THE country’s leading experts in the area of perimenopause and menopause will speak at a full day masterclass on the topic in Cork on Friday, October 20.

Following the success of the sold-out inaugural National Menopause Summit in Dublin, the National Menopause Summit Cork, supported by M&S, is announced to take place in the historic venue of Cork City Hall.

Featuring advocates, clinicians, facilitators and professionals, the National Menopause Summit will take place in City Hall, just after World Menopause Day, which is marked annually today, October 18.

Broadcaster Gráinne Seoige will be the MC of the summit, joined by renowned menopause awareness pioneer and one of the UK’s most respected broadcasters and journalists, Mariella Frostrup.

The line-up also includes Dr Brenda Moran, portfolio GP with a special interest in women’s health and sexual health; Dr Karen Soffe, GP with a special interest in women’s health; Dr Caoimhe Hartley, clinical lead, Rotunda Hospital Menopause Clinic, founder and CEO Menopause Health; Dr Sumi Dunne, GP and clinical lecturer in General Practice, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and the GP expert on RTÉ’s Operation Transformation; Loretta Dignam, founder and CEO of The Menopause Hub; and Shalini Wiseman, chartered physiotherapist in pelvic health and continence.

For tickets and more see nationalmenopausesummit.com