Summary
Dr. Louise Newsome, a prominent advocate for women's health, shares her journey into hormone therapy advocacy, emphasizing the need for better education and access to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for women. With a background in both medicine and pathology, Newsome began her career in various medical specialties before realizing the significant gap in knowledge surrounding hormones, particularly in general practice. After experiencing a lack of support for women suffering from menopausal symptoms, she established a dedicated clinic and launched the Balance App to empower women with information about their hormonal health.
Newsome highlights the ongoing confusion and controversy surrounding HRT, stemming from outdated studies and guidelines that have deterred many healthcare providers from prescribing it. She argues that the benefits of HRT, particularly in preventing conditions like osteoporosis, outweigh the risks, and stresses the importance of individualized care. Despite facing backlash from some medical professionals, Newsome remains committed to educating both patients and healthcare providers about the safe use of hormones, advocating for a shift in how women's health issues are perceived and treated.
The conversation also touches on the societal stigma surrounding women's health, particularly in relation to menopause and hormonal treatments. Newsome believes that many women have been denied effective treatments due to misconceptions and a lack of understanding among healthcare providers. She calls for a more nuanced approach to women's health, one that recognizes the complexities of hormonal balance and the need for personalized care. As she continues her work, Newsome aims to bridge the gap between evidence-based medicine and practical application in women's health, ensuring that more women have access to the treatments they need.
Show Notes
Dr Louise Newson is a GP who has spent more than a decade campaigning for women to get access to hormone treatment. She set up her own clinic, the Balance app and an education programme for doctors, and her work has made her one of the most polarising figures in her profession.
In this conversation she tells Laura how it started: rereading the 2002 Women's Health Initiative study when NICE published its first menopause guidance in 2015, and realising HRT prescribing had fallen off a cliff. She explains why she believes the risks of hormone treatment have been overstated, from testosterone to starting HRT after 60 to women who have had breast cancer.
Louise also talks about the backlash: 350 pages of British Menopause Society emails she obtained through a subject access request, the BBC's Panorama, and the inspection that ended with her clinic rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission. And why, with only 5% of menopausal women worldwide prescribed hormone treatment, she says most women who would benefit still aren't getting it.
🔑 Key Points
HRT prescribing fell off a cliff after 2002 Louise kept prescribing HRT as a GP for decades and only realised after NICE's 2015 guidance that many colleagues had stopped, while her friends were being given antidepressants instead.
Guidelines are only a guide She says the NICE guidance mentions risk 22 times more than benefit and groups synthetic and bioidentical hormones together, which leaves busy clinicians confused.
The over-60 risk came from synthetic hormones The heart attack signal in the Women's Health Initiative study was in women given horse-derived oestrogen and a synthetic progestogen, not the estradiol and progesterone she prescribes.
Testosterone has a long history in women It was prescribed in the 1940s and '50s for period problems and menopausal symptoms, and she says its reputation comes from the synthetic anabolic steroids of the '60s and '70s.
Some women need more than the licensed dose Skin varies in how much estradiol it absorbs, and her clinic's published data shows about a fifth of patients need a higher than licensed dose.
Progesterone changed her thinking on PMDD A colleague's own postnatal illness led Louise to Katharina Dalton's work, and her clinic now prescribes progesterone for PMS, PMDD and postnatal depression.
Ten years of being targeted Louise says the emails she obtained show people trying to silence her, and the pressure on her and her family brought her close to giving up.
Only 5% of menopausal women get HRT Every menopause guideline calls HRT first-line treatment for most women, yet she says only 14% of menopausal women in the UK and 5% globally are prescribed it.
📚 Resources
Newson Clinic The hormone clinic Louise co-founded with Dr Rebecca Lewis
Balance Louise's free app for tracking symptoms and learning about hormone health
Confidence in Hormones The hormone health education programme for doctors and healthcare professionals
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 — Welcome to The Laura Dowling Experience 03:47 — Rereading the WHI study after NICE's 2015 guidance 11:18 — Why HRT is scrutinised like no other medicine 15:43 — Testosterone's forgotten history in women 20:43 — Starting HRT after 60 24:43 — "A body of people trying to take me down" 29:33 — If she were a male gynaecologist 32:07 — Are her doses too high? 35:45 — HRT after breast cancer 39:43 — Progesterone, PMDD and postnatal depression 42:16 — The Care Quality Commission inspection 45:47 — Running a private clinic 48:27 — Has the pendulum swung too far? 53:02 — Advice for young people and the meaning of life Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! S
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