What to expect from your appointment
Menopause Wellbeing’s initial and full follow-up appointments are held online, so you’ll need an internet connection. You can use your phone, tablet, or computer to access your online appointment.
Our approach
We take a holistic, inclusive approach to menopause treatment, supporting a Te Ao Māori perspective on healthcare. This means we’ll discuss not only your physical symptoms and other relevant medical conditions, but also your psychological wellbeing and any concerns you may have. And you’re welcome to have whānau or a support person with you at your appointments.
Who will you talk to
Your initial appointment will be with one of our menopause doctors or nurse practitioners, trained to provide tailored menopause treatment.
You’ll receive the name of the clinician in advance of your appointment. They will have their camera on so that you can see their face when you speak to them.
Technical requirements
For your virtual appointments you will need:
- A secure internet connection
- A phone, tablet, or computer
- A webcam
What to have at your appointment
Once you book an appointment, you’ll receive a booking confirmation email with information about what to do before your appointment, and what documents you will need to have with you, including:
Blood pressure and BMI readings
You’ll need to have your blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) checked and bring the measurements with you to your appointment. Your BMI and blood pressure measurements need to be no more than three months old. You can do this at a pharmacy or your GP.
Symptom checker
We’ll ask you to fill out our symptom checker (you'll be sent a link in your booking confirmation email. It’s helpful if you can complete this before your appointment, but if not, we can do this at the time.
Details of other medical conditions or medications
If you have other relevant medical conditions or are on other medications, please have the details with you. This includes:
- name and dosage of medications (including any herbal treatments or supplements)
- details of medical conditions (especially if you have breast cancer or have been in hospital)
You can also email a list of your prescribed medications to us before your appointment, by sending them to [email protected].
Virtual appointment link
You’ll receive a link to your virtual appointment within one working day of booking your appointment. Please test the link in advance. View our Teams guide for more information.
Receiving your medication
We may not be able to give you a prescription for medication at your initial appointment as we may need to do further testing or another in-person procedure.
If we do give you a prescription, we can email this to your chosen pharmacy. We’ll ask you where you’d like us to send your prescription during your appointment. Otherwise, we can email the prescription to you directly.
In-person procedures and testing
Menopause is complex and shares some symptoms with other conditions. This means we sometimes need to carry out further tests and procedures. This could include a pipelle (a biopsy of cells from the lining of the uterus), which needs to be done in person. Some forms of treatment like the Mirena (an intra-uterine device, IUD) also need to be completed in person.
If you need an in-person procedure or test, your Menopause Wellbeing clinician will talk to you about how and where to access this.
Menopause Wellbeing is a private clinic operated by Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa, New Zealand’s only national provider of sexual and reproductive health services.