The Menopause Resource Hub Podcast

Anyone can put "menopause informed" or "menopause specialist" on their website. In Australia, nothing stops them. Here are four simple checks before you book.

Sharryn Ludlow, founder of Menopause Resource Hub, breaks down what to actually look for: checking AHPRA registration, checking for genuine special interest (like Australasian Menopause Society membership), checking whether menopause actually shows up in what a practitioner does rather than just their website's keywords, and checking who you actually need to see, since not every path has to go through a GP. Includes the story of why Sharryn personally re-vetted every single provider already listed on the hub.

Check a practitioner's registration: https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Registration/Registers-of-Practitioners.aspx

Australasian Menopause Society: menopause.org.au

Find vetted, menopause-informed practitioners near you: menopauseresourcehub.com/directory

This podcast is general information only and does not replace advice from a qualified health professional.

Chapters:

00:00 The problem with "menopause informed"

02:44 Four checks before you book

04:47 Check One

05:57 Check Two

06:43 Check Three

08:30 Check Four

10:39 Telehealth helps, face to face still matters

11:42 A resource that keeps growing

Show notes and full transcript: https://menopauseresourcehub.com/menopause-gp-what-actually-helps/

What does a menopause GP actually need from you? Sharryn Ludlow talks with Dr Nirmala Daya, GP and founder of North Shore Women's Health in Pymble, NSW, about why menopause gets so little time in medical training, why one blood test rarely gives a clear answer, and why your care team may need to be bigger than your GP.

Find a menopause-focused GP near you: https://menopauseresourcehub.com/listings/category/menopause-doctors/
Dr Daya's listing: https://menopauseresourcehub.com/listings/pymble/north-shore-womens-health/
Free Appointment Ready Workshop: https://menopauseresourcehub.com/appointment-ready-workshop/

This podcast is general information only and does not replace advice from a qualified health professional.

Chapters:
00:00 Meet Dr Nirmala Daya
02:25 Why menopause gets little time in medical training
03:53 History, examination, then tests
05:59 Why your written symptom list helps
08:05 Your wider care team and bone health
09:23 Hormone therapy and other options
11:23 What perimenopause looks like and how long it lasts
13:35 Early menopause and fluctuating hormones
19:50 Libido, relationships and everything women carry
21:37 Her one piece of advice
26:43 Why she joined Menopause Resource Hub
29:50 Telehealth and why face-to-face care matters

Show notes and full transcript: https://menopauseresourcehub.com/menopause...

A dedicated, Medicare-rebated menopause health assessment now exists in Australia. Here's how to actually use it, and how to walk into that appointment prepared.

Sharryn Ludlow, founder of Menopause Resource Hub, walks through exactly what to ask for when you book (the specific words that get you the right kind of appointment), what to write down beforehand, and what to do if that first appointment still doesn't go well. Includes why documenting the impact of your symptoms, not just the symptoms themselves, changes the conversation, and why it's worth asking if you can record the appointment for your own notes.

When you book with your GP, ask for a menopause health assessment. It's Medicare item 695: at least 20 minutes, face to face.

Free Appointment Ready Workshop, with a symptom tracker and impact statement: https://menopauseresourcehub.com/appointme...
Find menopause-informed practitioners near you: https://menopauseresourcehub.com/directory/

This podcast is general information only and does not replace advice from a qualified health professional.

Chapters:
00:00 When your mind goes blank in the appointment
03:16 How to book a menopause health assessment
05:29 Why the impact of your symptoms matters
08:49 If your appointment doesn't go well
09:41 Free tools to help you prepare

Sharryn Ludlow, founder of Menopause Resource Hub, on why she built an independent, manually vetted directory of Australian menopause providers, after her own GP offered her surgery instead of answers.

If you've sat in a GP's office being Googled at, or been told your symptoms are "just stress," this episode explains why that gap exists in Australian healthcare, and what Menopause Resource Hub is trying to do about it. Menopause isn't treated as a sickness in most medical training, which is part of why it's so hard to find a doctor, or any practitioner, who's genuinely menopause informed. Sharryn shares her own story, why she believes in a cross-disciplinary approach (your GP is one part of your health team, not the whole team), and what to expect from the hub as it grows.

Find menopause-informed practitioners near you: menopauseresourcehub.com/directory

This podcast is general information only and does not replace advice from a qualified health professional.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Menopause Resource Hub
01:35 The Journey of Finding Reliable Information
04:14 The Importance of Holistic Health Approaches
04:44 Building a Support Network for Menopausal Women
10:35 Empowering Women Through Shared Experiences