The American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) highly endorses the updated Position Statement on Nonhormone therapy for treatment of Vasomotor Symptoms of Menopause, published by the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) and has adopted the statement as AMWA’s position on nonhormonal therapy for menopause. In 2022, AMWA also adopted the NAMS position statement on hormonal treatment of menopause as an official position paper.
The statement provides a summary of the benefits and risks of nearly every pharmaceutical, lifestyle recommendation, mind-body technique, dietary supplement, and other related treatments and technologies (ie, acupuncture, meditation, and even cannabinoids) that women and their providers commonly consider, and inquire about, as well as websites and manufacturers claim to be effective. For example, one surprising finding is that stellate ganglion block procedures are deemed useful and recommended, though not without risk.
These NAMS evaluations are scientifically based, evaluate each method by scientific levels of evidence, and each is clearly either recommended, not recommended, or given a “not enough evidence” label. These data should be at the fingertips of all providers who care for menopausal women and those who have ovaries that no longer make adequate estrogen hormone.
Menopause often represents a time of myriad changes for many women. AMWA recognized there is a significant benefit to having the gynecologist or primary care physician provide focused attention to the management of patients during perimenopause and the menopausal transition. In response, we have developed a program — Check In on Menopause — aimed to encourage more physicians to commit to scheduling at least one telehealth visit dedicated to the myriad risk factors that arise during this stage of life.
