An audit by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists on heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) found that 1 in 5 women suffer from HMB[1]Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. National Heavy Menstrual Bleeding Audit (May 2011). Last accessed August 2017, available https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/research–audit/nationalhmbaudit_1stannualreport_may2011.pdf with only 1 in 20 women aged 30-49 years consulting their GP each year for HMB and menstrual disorders. Prior to referral to secondary care, almost half of these women had 3 or more visits to the GP regarding HMB.
A recent survey of 1,000 women who had or previously had heavy periods illustrated that the impact of heavy periods goes beyond just the obvious physical symptoms. It was found that 74% have experienced anxiety, 73% nausea, 69% depression and 49% anaemia. Nearly two thirds of these women did not realise that ongoing HMB is a medical condition with 50% never visiting their GP to discuss the condition or what help is available.
GP Tools Online Ordering
Wear White Again offers a number of useful tools to help women to identify if they are suffering with heaving peroids and to support education of healthcare professionals. You can now order these tools for your surgery with our fast and simple online ordering system.
Wear White Again is proud to support the Menstrual Wellbeing Spotlight Project from Endometriosis UK
Following the recent publication of the NICE heavy menstrual bleeding guidelines, Endometriosis UK has been working with The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to develop a toolkit all about Menstrual Wellbeing which aims to increase GP knowledge and information on how to best diagnose and treatconditions such as heavy periods. The toolkit supports GPs with recognising the symptoms and understanding the common causes, investigation and management options to achieve menstrual wellbeing – allowing women to get a faster diagnosis and appropriate treatment options. Hologic’s Wear White Again campaign is proud to have supported this great initiative via an educational grant.
More information about the toolkit is available here
NICE HMB guidelines
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has updated its guidelines for the management of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding. With so many women being impacted by the condition, it’s more important than ever to ensure we offer the best treatment in a timely manner. Find our simple guide helping you to diagnose and support your patients here.
07/18 – Practice Nurse Article
General practice nurses have a key role in starting the discussion and highlighting available treatment options. Read the article here
30/10/18 – GP Online News Article: NICE recommends that women should be provided with sufficient information for them to be able to make their own choice about treatment options, explains Dr Anne Connolly. READ IT HERE
Patient materials
As part of the campaign, a range of materials has been developed. These are free to download or order online.
