The NICE guideline Menopause: diagnosis and management is currently under review. The draft guideline was made available for consultation to stakeholders between 17 November 2023 and 5 January 2024.
Following a detailed review of the draft guideline by the British Menopause Society (BMS) board and medical advisory council, and submission of comprehensive feedback to NICE, BMS has serious concerns about the content of the consultation draft*.
Dr Paula Briggs, BMS Chair and Consultant in Sexual and Reproductive Health, says: “The BMS board and medical advisory council involves more than twenty of the country’s leading menopause specialists who work with women in their clinics every day. Our priority is to ensure women get the support and information they need to make the best decisions about their health. We have serious concerns about the consultation draft and the impact it will have on the treatment, health and wellbeing of women.”
The BMS shared these concerns with other national and international specialist societies and with Royal Colleges, who have similar views on the draft guideline. A joint letter expressing these concerns was submitted to Professor Jonathan Benger, the Chief Medical Officer of NICE on 18 January and a brief acknowledgement was received on 22 January. On Friday 15 March, a further communication was received from Professor Benger requesting a meeting with the signatories of the joint letter.
The revised guideline is due to be published on 13 May 2024. Sara Moger, BMS Chief Executive, adds: “We trust that the concerns expressed by the BMS, by other specialist societies and Royal Colleges, and by the majority of stakeholders have been carefully considered and incorporated into the final version of the document.”
In addition, one of the two topic advisors, together with one of the clinical experts involved in the review, resigned from the Menopause Guideline Committee in February. They felt they could not support the draft version of the reviewed NICE document.
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* Forty pages and 147 comments submitted to NICE on 3 January.