The clinic is part of a new menopause hub at the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick.
New South Wales’ first publicly funded dedicated hormone and mood clinic opened in Sydney today.
The clinic is part of a new menopause hub now operating at the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick.
The hub offers a comprehensive approach to women whose menopause symptoms have not responded to previous treatments, or who face additional complications from other medical conditions such as cancer, through a multi-disciplinary team of medical, nursing and allied health specialists.
Through the hormone and mood clinic, psychiatrists, gynaecologists and endocrinologists will also collaborate to provide specialist care to women experiencing significant impact to their mental health due to hormonal changes or fluctuations.
General practitioners, specialists and nurse practitioners can refer eligible women for advanced care, with in-person consultations available, along with telehealth support for those located in the Illawarra Shoalhaven and Southern NSW Local Health Districts.
Speaking at the official opening today, Professor John Eden, the hub’s clinical lead, said the hub built on the hospital’s existing menopause unit that has been in operation since the 1970s.
“What this enhancement allows us to do is to reach out even further to women across New South Wales,” he said.
He said highlighted the broad range of patients who stood to benefit from the hub’s new services.
“We cure a lot of cancer these days, childhood cancers, [with] high success rates. Young women with lymphoma, we cure the vast majority, but often the treatments make these young women menopausal,” he said.
“So here at the hospital, we actually see five-year-olds who are menopausal, 15-year-olds who are menopausal, 20-year-olds who are menopausal. And as you can imagine, they need very specialised care. And they get it here, and they get it really well.”
He said the impact of hormones on mood disorders was another area that was probably not as obvious either and this would be a priority of the clinic.
“Everyone knows about postnatal depression,” he said.
“Well, women who suffer from depression often find the menopause is another time when things become much worse, and that’s well documented.
“Now, there’s a big increased risk of depression, anxiety and even suicidality with the menopause, and these women need very specialised care.”
“This is a very unique service. It’s only the second such clinic in Australia,” he said.
The new hub is part of NSW Health’s menopause network, which includes four central hubs and multiple referral sites throughout the state.
NSW health minister Ryan Park said up to one in four women would experience severe menopause symptoms at some stage in their life.
“Symptoms can be debilitating and affect all aspects of their life, so access to specialist support is so important,” he said.
“The establishment of a menopause hub at the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick is a significant milestone for women in the South Eastern Sydney, Sydney, Illawarra Shoalhaven and Southern NSW local health districts who need advanced support.”
The state’s minister for women Jodie Harrison said women had identified menopause as a top health issue and managing it could be complex.
“The opening of this Menopause Hub, as part of a wider network of supports available for women experiencing severe menopause symptoms, is another way we are ensuring women get the important holistic healthcare they need,” she said.