How to Prepare for a Menopause Appointment: A Doctors Guide

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Most women get fifteen minutes for a conversation that spans years of their life, every system in their body, and a treatment decision that shapes the next twenty. It was never going to be enough.

In this solo episode, GP and women's health advocate Dr Shauna Watts walks you through exactly how to prepare for a perimenopause or menopause appointment so you leave with a plan instead of "let's see how you go."

She covers the one sentence to use when you book, how to work out where you sit on the menopause map, the four things to carry through the door, and which tests are genuinely high yield versus which ones are circulating online and will cost you money without changing your care.

Plus: what to say if you get dismissed, and why "we don't need to check your hormones" is often good medicine.

In this episode Shauna mentions that most countries have a menopause society keeping a directory of doctors with a special interest in this area. Here they are.

Start here, wherever you live International Menopause Society, Council of Affiliated Menopause Societies https://www.imsociety.org/membership/cams/cams-steering-committee-and-cams-members/ National menopause societies across Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. Find your country, follow the link, then look for their find-a-doctor page.

Australia and New Zealand Australasian Menopause Society, Find a Member https://www.menopause.org.au/find-a-member/

United Kingdom British Menopause Society, Find a Menopause Specialist https://thebms.org.uk/find-a-menopause-specialist/

United States and Canada The Menopause Society, Find a Menopause Practitioner https://portal.menopause.org/NAMS/NAMS/Directory/Menopause-Practitioner.aspx

A listing in a directory is not a recommendation from us and it is not a guarantee of a good fit. It is a starting point for finding someone who has chosen to work in this area.

00:00 – Intro 02:21 – The phone call that buys you time 04:14 – Where are you on the menopause map 05:21 – When your bleeding pattern lies to you 06:04 – Contraception: do you still need it? 07:27 – What to bring to your appointment 14:32 – The tests worth asking for 16:07 – Why your hormones may not need testing 17:55 – If you get dismissed, say this 19:17 – Summary

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Disclaimer: This podcast and any information, advice, opinions or statements within it do not constitute medical, health care or other professional advice. Information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only.