EXPERIENCED by millions of women every day, but not always taken seriously, the menopause can be a debilitating time in a woman’s life.

There are limited prescribed treatment options available to ease the symptoms – which include extreme sweats, difficulty sleeping, muscle pain, vaginal dryness and low mood – with the most common of these being Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). But with previous clinical research suggesting that HRT can increase the risk of breast cancer, heart disease, strokes and blood clots, how are women meant to deal with menopausal symptoms?

According to Dr Keith Baranowski, a research physician at Glasgow-based CPS Research, HRT doesn’t have to be the only option. A key part of the work done by CPS, who have been running community-based clinical trials since 1988, is to improve the options available for women’s health and wellbeing.

 And today, on World Menopause Day, Dr Baranowski is keen to get women talking about their health more openly.

“The aim of World Menopause Day is to raise awareness about the menopause. The theme for this year is Premature Ovarian Insufficiency, sometimes described as premature menopause.

"For menopause in general, women will know the impact that these symptoms have on their day to day lives - how much of a problem it can be and how they can affect their relationships.

“And it isn’t something that women are always inclined to go and talk to their doctors about, especially when it comes to the issues surrounding treatments. There has been a lot of publicity around traditional HRT in the past, and that can often be another difficult decision for women to make about whether or not to start HRT treatment. They can feel a bit lost.”

Dr Baranowski and his team are very aware that there has been no new treatments developed for the symptoms of the menopause for almost 40 years and are currently involved in the research of two new treatments, that will ultimately aim to give women more choice when it comes to dealing with this frequently difficult phase of life.

“There’s other medication that is being developed, some using newer natural hormones and some that isn’t hormonal, that could give women other options to try. There’s a couple of trials we are involved in just now, one of them being a form of HRT and another is a non-hormonal form of treatment to deal with hot flushes.

“By taking part in our research it might lead to safer and better alternative options for treatment in the future.” If women are interested in getting involved in clinical trials, Dr Baranowski stresses that their wellbeing is always of paramount concern. With the current Covid-19 pandemic, additional precautions have also been taken to help ensure safety.

“It is important to know that participants are always very well looked after in a clinical trial. Participants will be thoroughly screened before being allowed to participate and will receive extra check-ups and tests that are not always available as a routine on the NHS (especially during the current pandemic). These checkups often require frequent visits so at CPS Research we ensure that there is financial compensation to ensure that people are compensated for their time and travel.”

Ultimately, medical trials are designed to ensure that new treatments are at least as safe and effective as those currently available.

They are essential if we want to improve the variety of treatment options available to those who are going through the menopause, a point that Dr Baranowski is keen to make.

“This type of research is the only way that new medication becomes available for women to take. If nobody took part, then the science wouldn’t advance and no new treatments will ever become available. It is really important.”

If you are interested in getting involved in the clinical research trials being run by CPS Research, you can find out more on their website at www. cpsresearch.eu/participants