Menopause does not affect everyone in the same way. While hot flushes, irregular periods and night sweats are common, people may also experience sleep problems, tiredness, mood changes, brain fog, headaches, joint and muscle aches, vaginal or urinary symptoms and changes in libido.

Recognising these symptoms can help health professionals consider perimenopause or menopause when patients present with concerns that may not immediately appear related. However, not every symptom experienced during midlife is caused by menopause, so an individual and holistic assessment remains important.

Starting the conversation

World Menopause Day is held on 18 October. It provides an opportunity to raise awareness and encourage conversations about menopause and midlife health.

General practice can play an important role in identifying symptoms, providing education, discussing management options and following up with patients.

Clinicians can introduce the topic during routine health assessments or preventive health discussions. Asking patients whether they have noticed changes that may be linked to perimenopause or menopause can help begin a broader conversation.

Patients can have different symptoms, concerns and preferences. Some may benefit from menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), while others may prefer different management approaches. Shared decision-making can help ensure care reflects each person's circumstances and needs.

A quality improvement approach

A general practice in South Western Sydney identified an opportunity to make its menopause care more consistent.

The practice found that menopause was often discussed when opportunities arose, but documentation and follow-up were not always consistent. Patient awareness and clinician confidence also varied.

Before beginning the quality improvement activity, clinicians completed additional education to build their knowledge and support evidence-based discussions.

Rather than attempting to change its entire approach at once, the practice started with a specific patient group. It looked at patients who had a coded diagnosis of menopause or perimenopause but were not prescribed MHT in the practice's clinical system.

This provided a manageable starting point for reviewing care, discussing symptoms and identifying opportunities for better assessment and follow-up.

The practice then planned to expand the approach to patients who may be experiencing perimenopause or menopause but had not yet been identified or coded.

As part of the Quality Improvement in Primary Care program, the practice worked with its South Western Sydney Primary Health Network (SWSPHN) Quality Improvement Officer. The team used SMART goals and a Plan-Do-Study-Act approach to test and refine changes.

Changes made by the practice

The practice:

• selected a defined patient group for the initial review
• improved clinical coding and documentation
• introduced prompts, templates and trusted patient resources
• supported clinicians through education and team discussions
• included menopause discussions in preventive health activities where appropriate
• regularly reviewed progress and adjusted its approach.

The review also identified some challenges. Not every patient in the target group required or wanted MHT, and some patients were not experiencing symptoms.

Data from POLAR also showed that some patients had been incorrectly coded as having menopause or perimenopause. This highlighted the importance of accurate clinical records and individual assessment.

Limited consultation time, differing levels of patient awareness and varying clinician confidence were other barriers.

By strengthening clinician knowledge and confidence, the practice was better able to have informed discussions with patients about available management options.

The team used the Model for Improvement as a foundation for its PDSA work. This allowed the practice to set measurable goals, test changes with a small group, compare results and identify areas for further improvement.

Using POLAR to support improvement

POLAR can help general practices use their clinical data as part of quality improvement activities.

The menopause assessment walkthrough demonstrates how practices can use POLAR to identify patients who may be eligible for assessment.

Accurate documentation is important because POLAR extracts information from clinical software. Correct coding and up-to-date patient records can therefore help improve the quality of the data available for review.

Practices can also use POLAR's private bookmark function to save searches for future reference and comparison.

POLAR Husky provides daily information about potential revenue and MBS billing opportunities, with PRODA integration and data updates every five minutes. Eligible practices in South Western Sydney can currently access 12-month licences through Outcome Health.

Supporting patients with reliable information

The Australian Government launched its National Menopause and Perimenopause campaign in May 2026. The campaign aims to improve access to reliable information and support women aged 35 years and over during this stage of life.

Resources available for health professionals include practice posters, patient brochures and a symptom checklist. Some resources are available in several languages, with specific resources also developed for First Nations women.

By making menopause a more routine part of primary care, practices can help patients better understand their symptoms, discuss appropriate care and consider longer-term health needs.

Improving menopause care through quality improvement

Source: South Western Sydney Primary Health Network (SWSPHN)