Practical Strategies for Managing VMS and Cardiovascular Risk in Primary Care

In this episode, "Practical Strategies for Managing VMS and Cardiovascular Risk in Primary Care," the panelists explore practical approaches to help busy primary care providers incorporate both cardiovascular risk assessment and vasomotor symptom screening into their everyday clinical workflow without sacrificing efficiency or quality of care.

Dr. Erin Michos emphasizes that cardiovascular risk assessment is a universal clinical priority regardless of sex or menopausal status, and notes that the PREVENT score will soon be integrated directly into the Epic electronic health record platform, automatically calculating risk when blood pressure, lipid, and smoking data are already documented. To capture risk enhancers not reflected in standard calculators — such as adverse pregnancy outcomes and age of menopause onset — the experts recommend pre-visit patient questionnaires, particularly useful when gynecologic and primary care records are housed in separate health systems. For cases requiring more advanced lipid management or cardiovascular risk mitigation, referral to a preventive cardiologist is encouraged, while foundational interventions such as statin therapy and blood pressure management can be initiated in primary care. Referral to a menopause-trained clinician for VMS management is also recommended when appropriate.

Both panelists stress that proactively asking women — particularly those between ages 45 and 65 — about sleep quality and menopausal symptoms is essential, since patients rarely volunteer this information unprompted. The familiar scenario of a patient mentioning night sweats as the clinician is leaving the room is used to underscore the value of structured, routine screening. When time constraints prevent a comprehensive discussion in a single visit, staggering topics across multiple appointments is offered as a practical solution.

Dr. Kristi DeSapri closes by highlighting key educational resources available to clinicians, including The Menopause Society's position statements on hormonal and non-hormonal therapy, patient-facing materials such as MenoNotes, podcasts, and online videos. The growing list of over 3,000 Menopause Society certified providers across multiple specialties is noted, along with the increasing presence of interdisciplinary menopause education at major medical conferences across cardiology, gynecology, and primary care.

The last episode in this series, "A Multidisciplinary Approach to VMS and Cardiovascular Health," features the panelists reflecting on the importance of cross-specialty communication and coordinated care in managing VMS and cardiovascular risk in menopausal women, while reinforcing the value of early prevention and an expanding treatment toolkit.