Menopause

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Unit Supplement 6

June 2026

Menopause

The purpose of this activity is to highlight relevant and practical tools to support conversations with patients and encourage shared decision making regarding medicine and non-medicine approaches to symptom relief and to improve long-term quality of life as women move into postmenopause.

Menopause is a universal experience for women, typically occurring during their midlife stage. Approximately 75% of women experience symptoms during perimenopause and after menopause. The symptoms are moderate to severe for around 25% of these women, affecting their quality of life. Moreover, beyond the symptoms, and even in the absence of them, menopause can be associated with an increased risk of significant health complications, such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

Barriers to comprehensive menopausal care are complex, influenced by patient, practitioner, societal and system factors. A 2023 survey reported that around one in three Australian women aged over 45 years did not consult a general practitioner for menopausal symptoms. Financial pressure, time constraints and regional access issues further compound the situation.

Many women face limited understanding of the menopause transition due to stigma, fear or denial, and lack of knowledge. The legacy of the Women’s Health Initiative trial findings from the early 2000s continues to drive overestimation of risks from MHT among consumers and clinicians, leaving many women to experience avoidable distress and inconsistent care. Negative experiences when help-seeking, inconsistent advice and confusing messages from social media and other sources can also influence engagement by women with healthcare professionals.

Mainstream menopause care is also administered largely through a Western biomedical lens, which might limit its relevance and accessibility to women from First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

For women who engage with the health system about menopausal symptoms, general practitioners are usually their first point of contact. Yet evidence suggests significant variations in knowledge, confidence and practice within this group, with many hesitant to prescribe currently available MHT due to insufficient training, outdated beliefs and difficulty identifying less common symptoms that can present during perimenopause.

This activity explores the changing treatment needs of women as they move from perimenopause to postmenopause and addresses some of the most common concerns about menopausal care, including the role of hormone testing, the risks associated with MHT and the place of testosterone for symptom management.

The activity highlights relevant and practical tools to support conversations with patients and encourage shared decision making regarding medicine and non-medicine approaches to symptom relief and to improve long-term quality of life as women move into postmenopause.

A note about terminology

The term ‘women’ has been used throughout the case studies for this supplement, as it aligns with most of the literature that forms the evidence base. However, the authors and the Quality Use of Medicines Alliance acknowledge that menopause and menopausal symptoms can be experienced by people undergoing gender-affirming hormone therapy and people who do not identify as women. The use of the term ‘women’ is not intended to isolate, exclude or diminish any individual’s experience nor to discriminate against any group.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this activity, participants will be able to:
  • recognise and assess menopausal symptoms to determine menopausal status and communicate findings clearly to support patient understanding
  • evaluate the evidence for MHT and non-hormonal treatments to guide accurate and individualised risk–benefit discussions
  • develop management plans that address immediate menopausal symptoms while considering the long-term health consequences of ovarian decline
  • apply shared decision-making strategies to support treatment adherence and build patient confidence in their care
  • adapt clinical practice to deliver culturally safe and inclusive care for First Nations and culturally diverse women.

Case studies

Below is a list of the case studies found in this month's edition of check. To see how these case studies unfold and gain valuable insights into this month's topic, log into gplearning to complete the course. 
 

Calli, aged 47 years, is a new patient. Calli works full time, has two children, aged 6 and 8 years, and her partner works fly in fly out. She tells you that several friends have described MHT as ’life-changing‘ and has come to see you as she would like to have her hormones tested to see if she needs treatment. Calli’s understanding of menopause is influenced largely by what she reads on social media and hears through her friends and work colleagues. She is worried about the symptoms being described to her and how she will manage menopause as a mother with two young children. She says she is aware that some people take hormones like oestrogen and testosterone and others use natural products.

Calli, now aged 52 years, has been an infrequent patient at your clinic. She says she has been amenorrhoeic for approximately 6 months and reports bothersome hot flushes, sleep disturbance and weight gain. She asks whether she is menopausal and if it is time to start MHT.

Leanne, aged 46 years, is an Aboriginal woman who lives in a regional Western Australia town, approximately 3 hours from Perth. She is a long-term patient of the local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation where you work, and you have met several times before. She has come to see you as she needs repeat prescriptions. It is a cold winter day, and you notice that Leanne is not wearing her usual colourful jumpers that you have admired and discussed previously. When you say conversationally, ‘You don’t have one of your jumpers on today. Aren’t you feeling the cold?’, Leanne replies, ‘I feel too hot to wear jumpers. I’ve been getting hot and sweaty all the time. It’s bad during the day but worse at night. It is so bad that it wakes me up and I need to change my clothes and the bed sheets. I am not sleeping. I feel tired, and I’m finding it hard to do all the things I usually would.’

Gloria, aged 55 years, presents for a routine cervical screening test. She was born in Vietnam and moved to Australia 20 years ago. She speaks fluent English and does not require an interpreter. She has not seen a general practitioner for several years as she ‘doesn’t like to bother doctors unless something is wrong’.

While taking her history, you note she is postmenopausal, with her last menstrual period occurring approximately 3 years ago. She mentions that she has been seeing an acupuncturist for hot flushes, which she feels has helped ‘a little’. She does not volunteer any other symptoms.

Amelia, aged 48 years, presents to your clinic with vasomotor symptoms and sleep disturbance. She has hot flushes during the day and wakes multiple times overnight feeling sweaty. She is interested in MHT but is concerned about cancer risk, reporting that it ‘runs in her family’. You note that she has booked a long appointment.

CPD

This unit of check is approved for 10 hours of CPD activity (2 hours per case). The 10 hours, when completed, including the online questions, comprise 5 hours’ Educational Activities and 5 hours’ Reviewing Performance.
Educational
Activities
5
hours
Measuring
Outcomes
0
hours
Reviewing
Performance
5
hours

Complete check online

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  1. Log into myCPD home page
  2. Select 'Browse' and search for 1567512
  3. Select the course and register

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