Frequently Asked Questions

A referral is not required to be consulted by Dr Aaron however we accept referrals from your GP, your specialist, and any allied health practitioner.

You are able to arrange a telephone consultation with Dr Aaron.

Because a physical examination is not possible during a video or telephone consultation, Dr Aaron will be making a determination based on your history and the interpretation of any test results. If Dr Aaron considers that an examination is necessary, you will be referred to your GP or a specialist for this.

A first consultation costs $180.

A follow up consultation will be $110.

You will be required to pay after the consultation. This can be done by providing your credit card details or by direct transfer into the clinic's account. Please have your credit card ready once the consultation is complete.

Prior to your consultation with Dr Aaron, you will be required to fill out your medical history on the Halaxy platform. This is a detailed history, attempting to collate information about you that will assist Dr Aaron in making a diagnosis. It will cover a number of systems however it is by no means complete. Please feel free to add any information you feel will be useful.

This will be uploaded to your medical file for Dr Aaron to review before your consultation. Please be as detailed as possible when answering the questions.

As this will be a telephonic consultation, Dr Aaron will not be able to undertake a physical examination. It is therefore important for you to have had a recent blood pressure measurement done by your GP, your local pharmacy, or using your home blood pressure monitor. Please provide Dr Aaron with this result to enter into your file. Please have your blood pressure checked at least annually and inform Dr Aaron of any updated readings.

A Breast mammogram, ultrasound or breast examination by your GP and/or yourself is an important part of your necessary screening, particularly from the age of 50 onwards. Please provide Dr Aaron with a copy of your most recent mammogram or breast ultrasound by emailing an original report or a photograph of a report to: [email protected].

For those patients who have their uterus intact, cervical screening every 5 years is recommended. Please advise Dr Aaron when your most recent pap smear was done and whether this was normal or not.

Those women who have a higher risk of osteoporosis should consider having a 2-yearly bone density scan. It may be recommended by Dr Aaron to have an initial bone density scan so that there is a baseline against which comparisons can be made in the future.

If you have any recent blood results or other results please email them to Dr Aaron at: [email protected] as these may be useful.

During your initial consultation, Dr Aaron will go through your medical history with you and fill in any other important information. You will have a chance to ask questions and share other details that you had left out of the questionnaire.

Dr Aaron may order some tests if further investigation is required.

If Dr Aaron feels that perimenopause or menopause is not the cause of your symptoms, or if there are other medical conditions that are mimicking the symptoms of menopause, or if you have a condition that requires immediate management before treating your menopause symptoms, then you may be referred to a specialist or back to your GP for further management.

If a diagnosis of menopause or peri-menopause is made, Dr Aaron will discuss your treatment options and lifestyle recommendations with you. He will also go through the possible side effects to the treatments.

If you choose to proceed with a prescribed treatment, Dr Aaron will provide you with an electronic prescription for your treatment.

Once Dr Aaron has collected and reviewed your history, he will go through this with you and will be discussing the likely causes for your presenting symptoms as well as other significant aspects of your history. There will be a discussion about the likely diagnosis as well as what can be done to help you.

If you are suitable for treatment,  Dr Aaron will provide you with an electronic or digital prescription that you can present to your pharmacy.

Dr Aaron does not bulk bill however there is a Medicare rebate for services delivered by telephone or video (telehealth). Please note that you will still pay a gap fee. Once you provide your Medicare card details, we can process the rebate for  you after your appointment.

At your initial consultation, Dr Aaron will ask you to keep a symptom calendar. To make it easier, just monitor your worst two or three symptoms. This allows you to track your progress and it also allows Dr Aaron to determine whether there are cyclical changes occurring as well.

Dr Aaron will review you 4-6 weeks after your treatment is initiated. This is a useful amount of time to determine your response to your treatment as well as to discuss any test results that may have been ordered.

Dr Aaron may review you again at 3-months to ensure that your symptoms are well under control, or to make changes if necessary.

You will be reviewed at least yearly throughout your treatment.

If Dr Aaron feels that you require a referral to a specialist, a written referral will be provided to you.

To continue on hormone therapy, it is important to be reviewed at least once a year. The clinic will send you a reminder to book in for this annual review. A repeat prescription will be provided at this annual consultation.

If a repeat prescription is required at any other time, there will be a $25 fee for this.

Dr Aaron is a General Practitioner. My Menopause Doctor is not a General Practice and as such, the scope of practice is limited to patients needs related to Menopause, Perimenopause and Premenstrual Syndrome. Dr Aaron will not treat or advise on any unrelated conditions. If you require a physical examination or interventions for unrelated health issues, Dr Aaron will refer you to a specialist or to your GP.

Dr Aaron believes that there is no one-size-fits all treatment for women experiencing symptoms of peri-menopause or menopause. Every woman experiences her changes differently and this hormone imbalance needs to be considered on an individual basis. Although Dr Aaron considers lifestyle changes and body-identical Menopause Hormone Therapy (MHT) as  the most effective and safest options, there is a small percentage of patients who don’t tolerate these options well, or cannot use MHT because of medical reasons - breast cancer in particular.

Dr Aaron will choose your treatment from these options:

• Lifestyle changes
• Non-hormone options,
• Antidepressants
• The oral contraceptive pill
• Body identical (MHT)
• HRT.

Lifestyle changes should be considered by everyone and may include regular exercise, relaxation techniques, yoga, healthy eating, weight control, light cool clothing, sleep hygiene, social interaction, to name but a few.

Non-hormone treatment options should be the go-to first option for patients with a history of breast cancer or other conditions where hormone therapy may be contraindicated. It can also be used in those women whose symptoms are mild. Antidepressants may also be considered as a non-hormone treatment option as they have been found to be effective in some women with hot flushes.

The Oral Contraceptive Pill (OCP) may be considered as an option to help control your menstrual cycles as well as providing some relief from your symptoms. Because menopause hormone therapy does not provide contraception, those women who are concerned about falling pregnant can consider using the oral contraceptive pill. However, because it is prescribed orally, it may increase the risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) so we don’t recommend its use beyond the age of 50. If pregnancy is a concern beyond the age of 50, an intrauterine device (IUD) such as the Merina is a consideration.

Body identical MHT is considered the safest menopause hormone therapy. Used correctly, MHT will not increase your risk of breast cancer or deep vein thrombosis. Body identical means that the biochemical structure of the hormones are identical to what the body produces naturally. These are TGA approved (Therapeutic Goods Administration).

Please press on the link and it will provide you with a list of available appointment times. Choose whether you require an initial consultation, a follow-up consultation or just a script. Please complete the history questionnaire. This will provide very useful information to Dr Aaron.