ABOUT US
Dr Alison Vickers
I am a GP with 30 years of experience in women’s health. I have a particular interest and expertise in menopause management. I believe passionately that every woman should be armed with an understanding of what is happening to their body at this time.
I have run education programs on menopause and women’s health for students, GPs, and other health professionals. My philosophy has always been about creating a caring, confidential, nonjudgmental, and empowering space for women to gain the knowledge and care they need to make their own choices about their health.
My menopause journey began in the 1990s when I joined the enthusiastic push to offer every woman what was then called Hormone Replacement Therapy, or HRT. HRT was making a generation of women feel so much better at midlife and was also thought to be the possible answer to preventing heart disease and dementia. I even tried to start my 90-year-old grandmothers on menopause hormone therapy. With good reason, they told me I could keep my hormones.
Around 2000, things changed dramatically, with studies indicating risks associated with HRT. My own early menopause coincided with when women were coming off hormone replacement therapy for fear of the risk of breast cancer, heart disease, and strokes. This led to a generation of women going through a difficult midlife. I was fortunate to have the knowledge to decide what was best for my health. This was based on an understanding of the risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy for me personally
Over the last 10 years, things have changed again. We understand perimenopause and menopause so much better. We have better insight into the symptoms and the risks and benefits of hormone therapy and other therapies. Most of all, it has now become about every woman choosing their own path and management based on their symptoms, personal situation, medical history, family history, and important issues like the need for contraception.
I look forward to sharing information that I hope will benefit and empower you by answering your questions through articles, videos, and podcasts on this website and community education events and offering appointment to women online or in-person.