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British Agency Backs Hormone Therapy First Over Talk Therapy for Menopause

What: A British health agency said hormone replacement therapy should be available in the country as a “first-line treatment” for menopause symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, depression, and insomnia. Last year, the same agency got fierce criticism for saying menopausal woman could get talk therapy (i.e cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT) to treat the same issues.

Key line: “NICE said it has responded to the feedback and rewritten the guidelines, which now say CBT could be considered for patients on HRT who still have symptoms, or those who are unable or do not wish to take HRT. Prof Jonathan Benger, chief medical officer and interim director of the centre for guidelines at Nice, said: ‘We are not suggesting that CBT is an alternative to HRT. It’s not an either/or, and we have worked through the guidelines extensively to really clarify this point.’”

Source: The Guardian // https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/nov/07/hrt-should-be-offered-as-first-line-treatment-for-menopause-says-nice

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