Elizabeth, a 56-year-old from Beaudesert, says her menopause transition was unusual and that her periods eventually stopped. She said she researched beforehand and found caring doctors at the Beaudesert Medical Centre. Rural generalist GP Michael Rice said every woman goes through menopause, with the average Australian age being 51. He said symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats and brain fog can be treated safely and effectively by a GP.
Dr Fatima Khan says medicine is still too quick to dismiss the link between hormones and women's mental health. Speaking at the Women's Health and Wellbeing Summit, she said calling a woman hormonal dismisses her concerns. She said women with perimenopause symptoms are often misdiagnosed because the signs are easy to miss. Khan said pharmacy staff trained in menopause support have grown more confident, and she called for the same confidence among GPs and pharmacists.
Beauty founder and author Zoe Foster Blake has said she sought help for perimenopause symptoms after she began snapping at her husband and children. Speaking on The Imperfects podcast, she said she feared losing her relationships with her kids. She said her anxiety and sleep problems grew over time, and her GP told her she was too young. After seeing a reproductive endocrinologist, she began hormone replacement therapy and said she feels better. Her latest novel explores perimenopause, she said, to show other women their symptoms are real and help exists.
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A free community event in Armidale on Saturday, 7 November, aims to make menopause easier to talk about. Menopause to MenoPeak runs from 12 noon to 4 pm at Legacy House, Faulkner Street, and is hosted by the Country Women's Association Armidale Branch. Five local health professionals will cover perimenopause, menopause and life beyond. Women of all ages, along with partners, friends and health professionals, are welcome. Bookings are essential because places are limited.
Hormonal changes during perimenopause can cause emotional swings, according to GP Dr Joanna Bruce of Myma Health. She says oestrogen fluctuations affect brain chemicals that regulate mood, and reduced progesterone adds to the effect. Stresses common in midlife can compound these changes. Dr Bruce recommends regular exercise, consistent sleep, stress management and limiting alcohol. She advises seeking professional support if mood symptoms affect daily life, relationships or work, starting with a GP who understands perimenopause.
Andrea Harris waited four years from her first GP visit for a suspected bladder infection to a diagnosis of advanced bladder cancer in March 2024. Experts say women with bladder cancer often present later than men, because their symptoms are easily mistaken for urinary tract infections or perimenopause. Five-year survival for women diagnosed in Australia is about 50 per cent, compared with almost 60 per cent for men. Specialists urge greater community awareness, closer investigation of women with recurrent infection-like symptoms, and referral to a urologist. Survivors say patients should push for answers when something does not feel right.
