Women not getting enough help with menopause after cancer, says Cambridge doctor
Campaigners are calling for more data to be collected around the issue
A doctor in Cambridge says there's still work to be done to make sure all young women going through menopause after cancer treatment are well-supported.
Campaigners warn there’s still no national figure showing how many young women face premature menopause after cancer treatment.
The Menopause and Cancer group have launched 'Call for Change', which aims to see better national data collection and clearer information about the possible impact of treatment before that treatment begins.
It also wants health chiefs to put clear pathways in place for specialist menopause care.
"It's all well and good curing someone of their cancer, but if their quality of life afterwards is really poor, what is that achieving for them?" Dr Susanna Unsworth, a women's health and menopause specialist at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH), said.
"Giving them permission tot all about it is really important; I think it's (support) is going in the right direction but I think there's still a way to go."
Symptoms starting to be recognised
Figures from the National Disease Registration Service shows that 2,516 girls and women under the age of 30 were diagnosed with cancer in England in 2023.
While there are more cancer cases amongst 15 to 24-year-olds since the early 2000s, rising by around 6%, compared to a 14% rise among females in the same age group.
Dr Unsworth - who's been running a specialist menopause clinic at CUH for around three years - believes menopausal symptoms after treatment were previously overlooked by the public and professionals.
"I think that is now changing, maybe because our cancer treatments have got better and people are living a lot longer after their diagnosis that we're now starting to recognise the treatments related to cancer do have knock-on effects on future life," she said.
"One of the key things I found with a lot of women is they often didn't want to talk about it because they didn't want to feel they were ungrateful for their cancer treatment.
"They felt they should have to put up with these things and was just a necessary part of their treatment."
More clinics needed to help young women
During menopause, young women can experience hot flushes and disrupted sleep, as well as changes to mood, relationships, and potentially longer-term consequences for bone, metabolic and cardiovascular health.
Campaigners want treatment induced premature ovarian insufficiency and menopause to be formally recognised as an important late effect of cancer treatment, particularly among younger patients.
NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care have been contacted for comment.
Dr Unsworth thinks some women "often feel unprepared" for what symptoms could come after having cancer treatment.
But with more data made available, she feels that could encourage a change in approach from decision-makers around getting the help women may need.
"We need the funding in place to have these clinics to support women," she added.
"I think if we do that, they will likely be cost-saving in the long run because all these women will be much more supported to be able to carry on living their lives effectively."