AMS Newsletter | 31 January 2024

Updated AMS Information Sheet: Bleeding – perimenopausal, postmenopausal and breakthrough bleeding on MHT/HRT

 For more information go here 

Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) discontinuation and shortages January 2024

Australia

Please note that Femoston-Conti 1/5 has been delisted from the PBS and is only available on private script from 1 December 2023. Patients who have been prescribed Femoston-Conti 1/5 before 1 December 2023 will be able to have it dispensed at the PBS listed price until 1 March 2024. We understand that the delisting is a commercial decision made by the sponsor. While private scripts prices fluctuate between pharmacies, it is currently being sold at a large pharmacy chain for $11.99.

There are a number of MHTs that are currently unavailable. Please note that the TGA has approved some unregistered products for supply under Section 19A.

The AMS Guide to MHT Doses (Australia only) provides a guideline to approximately equivalent doses of the different MHT/HRT products in Australia.

New Zealand

A list of patch availability is provided below.

More information can be found at here

The AMS Guide to MHT Doses (New Zealand only) provides a guideline to approximately equivalent doses of the different MHT/HRT products in New Zealand. 

IMS World Congress on Menopause in Melbourne 2024

Registrations are now open for the IMS World Congress in Melbourne this October. AMS members will have access to the IMS member registration rate. We are currently working with the IMS and the Congress organiser, BT Congress, to ensure the registration portal is established to allow for AMS members to have access to the IMS member discount and will advise when it is ready. Early bird registration closes on 26 March 2024.

Health Professionals - join AMS for Members-only content 

IMS Live 8 January 2024: Autonomic nervous system dysfunction throughout menopausal transition: A potential mechanism underpinning cardiovascular and cognitive alterations during female ageing
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and neurodegenerative disorders (ND), such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), are highly prevalent conditions in postmenopausal women. Recent evidence suggests the existence of an intimate cross-talk between the heart and the brain, resulting from a complex network of the autonomic nervous system and it has been suggested a role of decreases in oestrogen-related signalling during the transition into menopause. This review by Schwarz et al. [1] provides up to date evidence supporting how changes in circulating oestrogen levels during the transition to menopause may trigger autonomic dysfunction, thus promoting cardiovascular and cognitive decline in women, particularly on the role of oestrogens in sympathoexcitation [2]...

January 2024 Menopause e-Consult:
Case: A 55-year-old woman is concerned about a 52-lb weight gain and her difficulty with weight loss and weight loss maintenance. She started gaining weight in her late 40s. Her last menstrual period was at age 49. Her current body mass index is 38.31. She is 5’4” and weighs 225 pounds. Most of her weight gain is central. She was diagnosed with hypertension and takes 20 mg lisinopril... 
Question: A 52-year-old Black woman presents to discuss options for treatment for her vasomotor symptoms that started 7 years ago. She is unaware of options available and has tried to find out about what to expect by talking with her mom and grandmother, both of whom are from Nigeria. She says that for many reasons they never took any medications when they went through menopause and deny any symptoms. She’s wondering whether there are cultural differences that may affect how she feels about menopause and whether ethnicity affects what menopause treatment options may work for her.

The Menopause Society 2024 Annual Meeting | Call for Abstracts
2024 Annual Meeting - September 10-14 2024 - Hyatt Regency Chicago, USA

Approach to Bone Health in the Perimenopause and Postmenopause
IMS webinar available for viewing.

European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) Newsletter
AMS is an affiliate of EMAS. See a copy of the December newsletter.