THE Federal Government has recently pledged to create a new Medicare rebate for menopause health assessments.
The announcement featured in the Government’s response to the Senate inquiry into menopause, released this month, although it was first flagged earlier this month as part of the Government’s pre-election funding package for women’s health.
So what is a menopause health assessment? And how will it improve the healthcare women receive during this stage in their lives?
WHY WE NEED THIS
Outside reproductive health, women’s health care has generally been modelled on the needs of men.
A prime example is the government-funded midlife health check for people aged 45 to 49.This is intended to identify and manage risks to prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
The recent Senate inquiry into issues related to menopause and perimenopuase highlighted that the timing of this health check is not fit for purpose for women. This is because at menopause, which occurs on average at the age of 51 in Australia, women’s health profiles change.
Women gain tummy fat, their cholesterol levels go up, and glucose (sugar) metabolism becomes less efficient. All these changes increase a woman’s risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Vast numbers of women are given a clean bill of health at this midlife health check in their late 40s.
But when they subsequently go through menopause, they can go on to develop heart disease and diabetes risk factors, which may go undetected.
Some women also go through early menopause: about 12 per cent between the ages of 40 and 45, and about round 4 per cent before 40.
Those women who experience menopause before age 45 are known to be at significantly higher risk of heart disease than other women.
WHAT WILL A MENOPAUSE HEALTH CHECK INVOLVE?
The new menopause health checks will be provided by GPs.
Exactly what they will involve is yet to be clarified.
But I would anticipate they will include a combination of the assessment and management of perimenopause and menopause, overall health and wellbeing, and assessment of risk and prevention of future ill health, notably heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis.
First published in Theconversation.com.au
