Cross-talk about the menopause: enhancing provider-patient interactions about the menopause and hormone therapy.

Although many women make the menopause transition without problematic symptoms, the current tendency to prescribe hormone replacement therapy (HRT)2 as a preventive measure against potential life-threatening conditions for postmenopausal women has made menopause a medical issue for all women. Informing the millions of women due to experience menopause over the next decades of the possible long-term risks and benefits of HRT presents a major challenge to primary care. Recent research suggests that women are dissatisfied with their interactions with their health-care providers regarding menopause and the options for menopause management. We identify barriers to effective communication between providers and patients about these issues, and make recommendations for both research and practice to facilitate more effective provider-patient interactions concerning menopause and its management.