AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen wrote to the federal health minister this week to further advocate for perimenopause and menopause care following the release of a Senate Inquiry report.
Dr McMullen wrote to the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, following the release of the Report from the Community Affairs References Committee Inquiry into issues related to menopause and perimenopause, which included many of the recommendations from the AMA's submission to the inquiry.
Dr McMullen wrote that perimenopause and menopause were an important and under recognised part of a woman's life but there were structural and financial barriers to accessing evidence-based care.
"The vast majority of perimenopause and menopause care occurs in general practice. However, the variability and complexity of perimenopause and menopause, the many clinical mimics, and the counselling of options for management generally requires a prolonged appointment."
Dr McMullen outlined the need to address MBS rebates for the longer consultations that are needed by general practitioners for women concerned by symptoms.
"Addressing poor MBS rebates for long consultations will improve the gender inequity inherent in the MBS and improve access to longer consultations for issues like perimenopause/menopause."
Dr McMullen also called for more support for referral pathways for women who have complexity to their menopause - either comorbid conditions like a previous cancer, or a clotting disorder, or those women for whom first line therapy is ineffective.
"These women may require multidisciplinary input from gynaecologists, psychiatrists, oncologists, haematologists; sometimes with a consultation but in other cases advice from the consultant specialist to the GP would suffice and should be supported," she said.
Dr McMullen also highlighted the need for more information on the experience of menopause in target populations, including culturally and linguistically diverse women, First Nations women, LGBTQIA+ population and women with a disability, access to CPD and education on assessing and managing menopause in relevant specialty training programs, shortages of MHT medicines, and better PBS access for recommended therapies.
