The Dr Louise Newson Podcast

059 - PMS and the Menopause - Dr Hannah Short and Dr Louise Newson

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by Dr Hannah Short, who is a GP and menopause specialist. She also has a particular interest in premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) which is very common yet not well managed.  Many women need individualised advice and treatment which is often a combination of lifestyle changes and taking hormones. 

Hannah openly talks about her own experience of having a surgical menopause when she was younger. She talks to Dr Newson about ways of improving awareness of this condition so women do not have to suffer both physically and mentally as a result of inadequate support and treatment.  

Dr Hannah Short's Three Take Home Tips:

1. Track your symptoms by using apps or online downloadable trackers. 
2. Use the internet to find useful resources. Firstly https://iapmd.org/ which is a US based site and http://www.pms.org.uk/ to read the UK guidelines.  
3. You do not need to solve this alone, look for support. Be kind to yourself. 

https://drhannahshort.co.uk/

Find Hannah on Instagram: @dr.hannah.short

 

Read this booklet from Dr Newson for more information about PMS and menopause.

058 - Changing the Perception Around HRT - Davina Mccall & Dr Louise Newson

In this podcast, Dr Louise Newson chats to one of Britain's best loved TV presenters, Davina Mccall. Davina talks openly and honestly about her own menopause experience and how she had no idea that she might start to experience symptoms when she was just 44.

Davina and Louise talk extensively about the perception of HRT in the media, how women are often needlessly scared and ashamed when they hear those three letters and why it's so important that this starts to change. It's essential that women have access to evidence-based menopause information - we all have the right to make informed choices about our own care and treatment. 

Davina Mccall's Three Take Home Tips:

1. Inform yourself! You have the right to choose the best treatment for you, but make sure you find out all the correct information beforehand.
2. Find a supportive community and exercise. Whether it’s a weekly class or an online platform like Own Your Goals – exercise can be great for your mental health.
3. Judgement is often a reflection of how we are feeling within ourselves. Every woman has a story and has the right to make their own choices without fear of judgement.

Find Davina on Facebook: @DavinaMccall

Twitter: @ThisIsDavina

Instagram: @davinamccall

www.thisisdavina.com

 

Click here to watch Dr Newson and Davina discuss 'All Things Menopause'

057 - The Irish Menopause - Sallyanne Brady, Claire Peel & Dr Louise Newson

The Irish Menopause was set up by Sallyanne Brady and Claire Peel - two ladies who suffered horrendously with their own menopause symptoms and met in an online support group. Ireland was lacking in knowledge, support and evidence based information, for women in particular, so they founded The Irish Menopause in April 2019 and the group now has 2700 members! Sallyanne and Claire chat to Dr Newson about the stories they hear day after day that are heartbreaking and unnecessary and how they are striving for change in Ireland.

 

Sallyanne's Three Take Home Tips for women in Ireland:

1. Join The Irish Menopause - it's evidence-based support and you might find something you relate to.
2. Find a doctor - if your doctor doesn't listen or you're not happy with what they have said, go to the next doctor and keep trying!
3. Reach out - share, talk to others. You're not going mad, it's not just you, it's every other woman.

Claire's Three Take Home Tips on how women can help themselves:

1. Talk to other people, go online and find support groups like The Irish Menopause.
2. Look after yourself, don't feel guilty for taking time to yourself. Rest!
3. Give Yoga a try! It can do wonders during this time of your life.

Find The Irish Menopause on Instagram: @theirish_menopause

Sign #TheIrishMenopauseMission petition online here.

056 - ’balance’ Menopause App - Jane Oglesby & Dr Louise Newson

In this podcast, Dr Louise Newson is talking with Jane Oglesby, whom she first met at Manchester University when they were both medical students together. Dr Newson and Jane then reconnected a few years ago when she visited the Newson Health clinic as she had been really struggling with menopausal symptoms and was unable to receive the right help and treatment. Jane now works a trustee for The Oglesby Charitable Trust and she is passionate about tackling health inequalities, amongst other issues, and she is also a Director of both Focused Care and the Shared Health Foundation. Jane has kindly personally donated money to enable us to develop and produce a brand new menopause app called 'balance' which has just been launched. The aim of this app is to provide evidence based and non-biased information about the perimenopause and menopause to as many women as possible worldwide. Dr Newson and her team have been working hard for the past year with the most incredible team at Magnetic North in Manchester and is really excited to announce that it is now available to download. 

Click here to find out more and download 'balance' today!

Jane Oglesby's Three Favourite Things About 'balance':

1. We have asked women what they want! The app has been designed with that as the main objective - it gives women what they have asked for.
2. The app is a free resource full of information. We want it to stay accessible for all women.
3. balance demonstrates a collaborative effort from a great group of women and I'm very proud of it!

055 - Exercise & the Menopause - Janette Cardy & Dr Louise Newson

In this podcast, Dr Louise Newson is joined by online personal trainer, life coach and corporate wellbeing trainer Janette Cardy. Janette is a GB athlete and founder of Janette Cardy Fitness and she chats to Dr Newson about the physical and mental effects of exercise. Dr Newson and Janette also discuss how to find the right exercise programme for you and they share some helpful tips on how to build regular exercise into your daily life.

Janette Cardy's Three Take Home Tips:

1. Get support - find a trainer, a coach or someone who can help guide you in the right way.
2. Don't be persuaded to do exercise that you don't want to do. If you don't enjoy it, you won't stick to it. Find something that you love!
3. Remember that there is no right or wrong! It doesn't matter if you go the wrong way or can't get in the same positions as others - it's your journey so enjoy it.

Find Janette on Instagram: @janettecardyfitness

Facebook: @JanetteCardyFitness

www.janettecardyfitness.co.uk

 

 

054 - The Basics About HRT - Dr Rebecca Lewis & Dr Louise Newson

In this podcast, Dr Louise Newson chats to friend and colleague, Dr Rebecca Lewis and together they talk all about hormone replacement therapy (HRT). They discuss the different types and ways of taking HRT, as well as the advantages of various preparations and different types of progestogens. Dr Newson and Dr Lewis also detail the numerous benefits of taking HRT and the possible risks. It is very important that women receive individualised care and treatment regarding their perimenopause and menopause and that they receive the right dose and type of HRT for them. Many women often find they have to try several different doses before they optimise how they are feeling. 

Dr Rebecca Lewis' Three Take Home Tips:

1. HRT will help your systemic symptoms.
2. HRT will help improve your future health.
3. There is no time limit on how long you can take HRT.

Find Dr Rebecca Lewis on Instagram: @dr.rebecca.lewis

Get more information about Menopause & HRT in this booklet from Newson Health.

Click here to learn the facts about HRT and uncover common myths.

053 - The costs of the menopause - Professor Philip Sarrel & Dr Louise Newson

In this podcast, Dr Louise Newson talks to Professor Philip Sarrel, Professor of Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Reproductive Sciences and also Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University. 

Dr Newson and Prof Sarrel discuss the importance of hormone replacement, not only to improve symptoms but also for disease prevention as Prof Sarrel talks about the increased risk of heart disease in women who have had an early menopause. He is the Founder and President of the Advancing Health After Hysterectomy (AHAH) Foundation, an organisation that focuses on educating women who have had a hysterectomy by age 60, a total of 15 million women in the USA! In the 1990s, around 80% of women received HRT following a hysterectomy and now the figure is around 15%. Yet women who have had a hysterectomy in the past and take HRT actually have a lower future risk of developing breast cancer. Professor Sarrel talks to Dr Newson about how many studies, including WHI (Women's Health Initiative), have found that taking HRT can control debilitating symptoms including hot flushes, sleep disturbance and fatigue, and reduces the risk of developing conditions such as osteoporosis, atherosclerosis and heart attacks, and vaginal atrophy and sexual dysfunction.  

Professor Sarrel talks about menopausal symptoms being the “canary in the coal mine” as ignoring symptoms leads to an increased risk of many diseases including heart disease and osteoporosis. The financial costs of these diseases is huge and a new article in the Menopause Journal has reported consequent medical expenditures for five of the diseases which reduced when women age 50 to 59 take HRT - coronary heart disease (CHD), breast cancer, bowel cancer, hip fracture, and stroke. When the costs for all of these conditions have been added together the expenditure consequences for untreated vasomotor symptoms in the USA in a single year is estimated in billions of dollars. In addition, around 20% of Medicare dollars in the USA is spent on Alzheimer’s disease – which is more common in menopausal women. 

Find out more about Professor Sarrel's research here.

Professor Philip Sarrel's Three Take Home Tips:

1. Take charge of your menopause! Improve your knowledge and learn from reliable sources.
2. Ask yourself about any symptoms you are experiencing – make a diary and record any symptoms.
3. Find a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable who can really help you. It's okay to get a second or even third opinion. 

052 - The Benefits of Body Identical Progesterone - Professor James Simon & Dr Louise Newson

In this podcast, Dr Louise Newson is speaking to Professor Jim Simon, a Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Reproductive Endocrinology at George Washington University in Washington DC. 

Dr Newson and Professor Simon talk about the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study and more specifically about the different types of progestogens and progesterone. He clearly describes and explains how body identical progesterone is the safest to take as well as the benefits women often experience when taking body identical progesterone. Jim also explores and explains the evidence regarding the reported risks of breast cancer with HRT and he and Dr Newson also talk about how important it is that women receive the best care and treatment during their menopausal years. 

Professor Jim Simon's Three Take Home Tips:

1. Listen to your own body - it will tell you the truth! Address each of your symptoms with a healthcare profession and know your treatment options. Your symptoms are not 'a right of passage' that you have to put up with.
2. You are likely to live a very long life, take the big picture into account and try to practice preventive medicine.
3. Remember that whatever you decide on with your healthcare professional, doesn't have to be for the rest of your life. Make the best choice for you today and live it out until things change - you can always make a different choice if it's warranted tomorrow.

Find out more about Professor Simon by visiting his website here.

Find Professor Simon on Facebook: @IntimMedicine

Twitter: @IntimMedicine

Instagram: @menopause.whisperer

051 - Breast Cancer & Menopause - Dr Tony Branson & Dr Louise Newson

In this podcast, Dr Louise Newson talks to Dr Tony Branson, a consultant oncologist who specialises in giving cancer treatments to women. Dr Branson and Dr Newson discuss the menopause in women who have had breast cancer in the past and the various ways of managing symptoms. Some women also experience menopausal symptoms as a result of their hormone treatment and Dr Branson shares some advice on how to manage this. This podcast also covers what risk means regarding taking HRT with a history of breast cancer and reasons why some women still choose to take HRT despite having breast cancer in their family or having had it themselves in the past.

Dr Tony Branson's Three Take Home Tips:

1. Whoever you see (hopefully a specialist) make sure to ask about your options. You may be able to stop your hormone treatment for a short time and see how you are.
2. If that helps and you are considering HRT - find someone that will have a reasonable discussion with you about the relative risks and benefits, instead of just saying "no you can't!"
3. Don't take no for an answer! Be clear with your healthcare professional about what really matters to YOU. 

050 - Empowering Women to Receive the Right Menopause Advice - Liz Earle MBE & Dr Louise Newson

In the 50th episode of the Newson Health podcast series, Dr Louise Newson chats to Liz Earle MBE about how they first met and the work they have done together. Liz is very open and candid about her own menopause experience and admits how little she knew about the perimenopause and menopause before meeting Dr Newson. She is now a great advocate for women receiving evidence-based menopause advice and treatment. Liz and Dr Newson also discuss ways that women can become more empowered and receive the right advice and treatment. Liz works tirelessly to help women to improve their knowledge and is always campaigning for improved menopause care in the future.

Liz Earle's Three Take Home Tips:

1.  Knowledge is power! Take a look on menopausedoctor.co.uk and if you are experiencing menopausal symptoms then fill out the Menopause Symptom Questionnaire - you can then print it off and take it to your GP.
2. Go to your appointment armed with knowledge, be secure in that knowledge and understand that you may even know more than your GP about the menopause.
3. Don't be afraid to ask for a second or even third opinion. It's your body and your life, don't give up if you don't get the right help straight away.