JFPRHC launches two new sections

As well as the usual mix of science, information, reflection and discussion, we welcome in this issue two new regular journal sections: Venus and Person in Practice, both of which are introduced more fully in an accompanying editorial (page 167). You will find Venus, a new digest of sexual health literature, at the very end of the journal (page 236). Named for the Roman goddess of love, Venus is inspired by her wise counterpart at the BMJ: Minerva. Our goddess will be combining an eye for compelling evidence with an eye for good gossip. Meanwhile, our new columnist from primary care, Dr Abi Berger, will be challenging us with reflections, sometimes candid, on the role of the doctor as a person in the consultation, and on how the personal can affect practice. In her inaugural article, Abi reflects on her personal menopause journey (page 226).

Sandy Goldbeck-Wood

Editor-in-Chief

New NICE menopause guideline recommends an individualised approach, with some changes to previous recommendations

Women experience menopause in individual and widely differing ways, and a key theme of the new National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline, summarised in an editorial in this issue, is individualisation at all stages of the diagnosis, investigation and management. Notable changes from previous guidance include the advice that clinicians should avoid routine use of follicle-stimulating hormone levels to diagnose menopause, and that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a first-line option for most women. HRT's efficacy as a treatment for low mood in menopause is confirmed, as is the appropriateness of continuing treatment of vaginal symptoms with topical estrogens. See page 168

DMPA is associated with postnatal depression and delayed return to sexual activity

The only previous randomised controlled trial (RCT) looking at the effect of injectable progestogens on postnatal depression studied norethisterone and found an increased risk if it is injected within 48 hours of childbirth. In this issue we publish a single-blind RCT comparing depotmedroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) and …