Elara Menopause and Women's Health

29/08/2026

Recently my mother asked me if I had put on weight. Asian mothers are renowned for being direct!

Straight away I felt a bit defensive although I know and admit to having gained weight in the last few years in line with most midlife women!

It made me reflect that as women our self esteem is often connected with our body weight and our self confidence can go down as weight goes up!

What is more important is having a strong body (and bones!), feeling energised and working towards making long term health gains which may involve optimising weight if that has been advised by your doctor.

Let’s chase health gains and not a number on the weighing scale.

25/08/2026

What’s it like to be a women’s health specialist general practitioner?

It’s highly rewarding and so interesting. I’ve been a general practitioner for 28 years and the breadth of knowledge required is huge.

It’s great to be able to focus on one area of medicine and really understand all the research and nuances of women’s health from the management of complex pelvic pain to the latest on testosterone!

It’s also great to connect with other women’s health practitioners across Australia to share wisdom.

We also have an awesome allied health team at Elara so we can provide the full scope of care when needed.

22/08/2026

This week I returned from Europe on Sunday afternoon and had a full week of work scheduled starting on Monday morning. I usually struggle with jet lag returning from Europe but I had a lot to get done this week including returning to my medical educator role mid-week. I decided I was going to get right back into everything no matter how I was feeling and also not to worry about it and let my body sort itself out. Amazingly I had very little jet lag and got through the week feeling pretty good.

Having a consistent wake/movement routine is really helpful in my experience for general wellbeing and definitely helps beat jet lag!

I must say I’m glad it’s the weekend though. Have a great weekend everyone.

19/08/2026

There are now GP’s trained to diagnose ADHD. See list here for your nearest practitioner.

https://www.health.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity-Disorder-diagnosis-and-treatment-through-General-Practitioners-GPs

18/08/2026

The combined oral contraceptive pill can be a useful treatment option for perimenopause especially when there is heavy menstrual bleeding or cyclical symptoms such as PMDD. Hormones can fluctuate wildly in perimenopause and stopping the cycling with the combined pill can sometimes be very helpful especially where contraception is also required. There are pills with body identical oestrogens too which can be great for symptoms of perimenopause and provides bone protection. Treatment is nuanced and needs to be individualised. Talk to our women’s health GP to formulate the best management plan.

https://www.monash.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/3476072/menopause-toolkit-update.pdf

14/08/2026

Inspired today by a great podcast by Menopause Matters on the importance of movement for health. Movement is the medicine we all need but we just need to make it taste nice!

It can be so hard to be intentional about movement when you’re tired or time poor both common issues in day to day life.

However there’s good evidence that even small changes can provide significant health gains.

You can start with 30 seconds of sit to stands to improve leg strength. Walking is also highly beneficial, easy and free!

Loughborough Uni have done a study showing the benefits of hopping on hip bone density. Easy to do whilst making a cuppa.

Make movement enjoyable and you will want to do it and feel the benefit. I love getting out in nature and if I can find a great cafe ☕️ on the way that’s an added bonus!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/25nHpzpaPj4mnmDmh5UebA?si=sjidXLEbQO-3ICuCtGyRQw&utm_source=copy-link

10/08/2026

Getting out early in the morning for a walk in nature is so good for mental and physical wellbeing - sets the circadian rhythm to regulate a good sleep pattern and is such a good way to start the day!

This is Wandsworth Common in London. 😊

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29/07/2026

Until August 16th opening hours on Mondays and Thursdays are 8.30 am to 1.30 pm (due to doctor leave). Thereafter business as usual! 😀

Send a message to learn more

27/07/2026

Even Melinda Gates had to see three doctors to diagnose perimenopause!

Women’s health can be complex and multiple conditions can mimic perimenopause so a careful history and work up is required as not everything is down to female hormones! It’s important not to miss thyroid disorders, diabetes, heart conditions, or micronutrient deficiencies.

At Elara Women’s Health our new patient appointments are all 30 minutes to allow sufficient time to take a full history, review all previous tests done to date and formulate the appropriate working diagnosis and come to shared decision making.

It also enables us to discuss what a woman can do to stay healthy for the long term with a review of nutrition, sleep, movement, mental health, screening and immunisations.

It’s worth investing time and expertise in women’s health to get better outcomes.

Melinda French Gates is focusing her money and attention on improvi...

26/07/2026

💗 We’d love your feedback! 💗

We’re exploring the possibility of opening a new women's health clinic south of the river in the Victoria Park area.

Our aim would be to make high-quality, multidisciplinary women’s health care more accessible for women who may find travelling north of the river difficult or inconvenient.

Before we take the next steps, we’d love to hear from our community:

Would a women’s health clinic in Vic Park be valuable to you?

🟣 Yes — I’d love to have a clinic closer to me
🟣 Yes — I know someone who would benefit
🟣 Maybe — it depends on the services offered
🟣 No — I’m happy with my current options

We’d also love to know:
✨ What women’s health services would you most like to see available locally?
✨ What would make a new clinic genuinely helpful for you?

Thank you for helping us understand the needs of our community 💕