Founder and Vice-President of the National Osteoporosis Society & Council. Member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Past-President of the Section of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Royal Society of Medicine. Chairman of the British Menopause Society 2005-2007.
He was Consultant Gynaecologist in Salisbury, Rhodesia and Consultant and Senior Lecturer at the University of Nottingham and moved to London in 1974 as Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at King's College Hospital. Prof Studd was later Consultant Gynaecologist at the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, London and also Professor of Gynaecology at Imperial College. He now runs the London PMS & Menopause Centre.
Prof Studd has a D.Sc. for 25 years of published work on oestrogenA hormone involved in female sexual development, produced by the ovaries. therapy in women. He has written more than 500 scientific articles and written or edited more than 25 postgraduate books on gynaecology.
Prof Studd is internationally recognised as one of the world’s most authoritative and experienced gynaecologists. He has championed the use of hormoneA substance produced by a gland in one part of the body and carried by the blood to the organs or tissues where it has an effect. implants for women with osteoporosisA condition resulting in brittle bones due to loss of bony tissue. or with severe depressive or sexual problems after the menopauseThe time of a woman’s life when her ovaries stop releasing an egg (ovum) on a monthly cycle. and as an almost routine route of HRTAbbreviation for hormone replacement therapy, the administration of female hormones in cases where they are not sufficiently produced by the body. after hysterectomyThe surgical removal of the uterus (womb)..
Prof Studd started the first ever menopauseThe time when a woman's periods permanently cease. clinic in the county. This hormone treatment for the menopause was so controversial at the time that the clinic was closed down for three months following protests from the BMA. However, the optimism placed in HRT has been confirmed and Prof Studd has continued to work on specific treatments for menopausalRelating to the menopause, the time of a woman’s life when her ovaries stop releasing an egg (ovum) on a monthly cycle. symptoms. He pioneered the sequential oestrogen/progestogen treatment and also the continuous combined oestrogen/progestogen non-bleeding treatment. He has championed the use of hormone implants for women with osteoporosis or with severe depressive or sexual problems after the menopause and as an almost routine route of HRT after hysterectomy.
He first described the use of oestrogen patches and oestrogen implants for the treatment of severe PMS, postnatal depressionFeelings of sadness, hopelessness and a loss of interest in life, combined with a sense of reduced emotional well-being and perimenopausal depression.
He feels strongly that women are not always given the best medical advice around the use of hormones as doctors often do not understand the intricacies of route, dose, combination with testosteroneThe main male sex hormone. and the varied indications. He says that he realises that he needs to write a text book for the public. “This is much more challenging, but the articles for totalhealth are an excellent starting point”.
Last year he was awarded the Blair Bell gold medal of the Royal Society of Medicine which is given every 5 years to the gynaecologist who has made the biggest life time contribution to the specialty.
Articles:
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HRTAbbreviation for hormone replacement therapy, the administration of female hormones in cases where they are not sufficiently produced by the body. will stop your hot flushes and sweats
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Oestrogens will treat vaginal dryness and many causes of painful intercourse and lack of libidoSexual drive.
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HRT increases the bone density and prevents osteoporotic fractures
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HRT protects the intervertebral discs
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HRT does reduce the number of heart attacks
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Oestrogens help depressionFeelings of sadness, hopelessness and a loss of interest in life, combined with a sense of reduced emotional well-being in many women
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HRT improves libido
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HRT improves the texture of the skin
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"I am a nicer person to live with"
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HRT is safe
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A nightmare of the future is that postmenopausal women with hot flushes, depressionFeelings of sadness, hopelessness and a loss of interest in life, combined with a sense of reduced emotional well-being, sexual problems and low bone density, who need oestrogens perhaps with testosteroneThe main male sex hormone., will be given a SSRIAn abbreviation for selective seratonin re-uptake inhibitors, a relatively new class of drug used to treat depression and bisphosphonate combination. PROFOX , a Frankenstein combination of PROzac and FOsamaX. As these two drugs are now available as cheap generics they are already being prescribed together.
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There has been much controversy about hormone replacement therapyThe administration of female hormones in cases where they are not sufficiently produced by the body. Abbreviated to HRT. (HRTAbbreviation for hormone replacement therapy, the administration of female hormones in cases where they are not sufficiently produced by the body.) since the initial publication of a Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study in 2002. This study linked HRT with an increased risk of heart disease, strokeAny sudden neurological problem caused by a bleed or a clot in a blood vessel. and cancerAbnormal, uncontrolled cell division resulting in a malignant tumour that may invade surrounding tissues or spread to distant parts of the body.. However, in later publications by the same authors it is clear that they realise methodological errors. These errors were around the over dosage to older asymptomatic women (women with no symptoms), and they have as a result retracted much, but not all, of the bad news. The major reported side effects occurred in the 22% of women over the age of 70.
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The menopauseThe time of a woman’s life when her ovaries stop releasing an egg (ovum) on a monthly cycle. is a term that merely refers to the cessation of periods, for most women this occurs around the age of 51. The first important time is the five or ten years around the time of the menopauseThe time when a woman's periods permanently cease. when the worst of the symptoms occur. This is known as the ‘transition’ years leading up to the cessation of periods. After the transition years there are then often problems of vaginal atrophyWithering or weakening of a body tissue due to disease or disuse., painful sexual intercourse (dyspareuniaPain experienced by a woman during sexual intercourse.) and of course loss of bone tissueA group of cells with a similar structure and a specialised function. (osteoporosisA condition resulting in brittle bones due to loss of bony tissue.).
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There have for about 30 years been a few women's health specialists like Studd and Greenblatt who gave testosteroneThe main male sex hormone. to women for various psycho sexual and mood problems. This was in the form of implants as that was the only preparation licensed for use in women. There are now gels licensed for men which can be used off license in a smaller dose for women and at last a testosterone patch has recently received a license for use in women who have had a hysterectomyThe surgical removal of the uterus (womb). and bilateralOn both sides of the body salpingo oophorectomy.
