“There’s still a lot of misinformation, even within the educational curriculum,” said Iliana Lega, an endocrinologist and scientist at Women’s College Hospital.
“But it’s not mandatory, meaning you are only getting people interested in spending time learning this,” Dr. Jacobson said. “It’s hard to reach the ones who say, ‘There, there,’ or, ‘You’ll get through this.’ ” The BC Women’s Health Foundation is set to open a mature women’s health clinic at BC Women’s Hospital next year, said Lori Brotto, a University of British Columbia obstetrics and gynecology professor who holds the Canada Research Chair in Women’s Sexual Health.
Seeking support they’re not getting through their doctors, some women find their way to unregulated products. Dr. Gunter warns about, touted by companies as a cure-all for GSM symptoms. “You have people spending thousands of dollars for unproven therapies. From a government watchdog standpoint, there needs to be far more intervention here.”