Midlife Matters Meetings - selected videos from our free online sessions
RDPI runs free online talks with our Clinical Partners, Professor Isaac Manyonda and Professor Vikram Talaulikar (from the Menopause Clinic, London) and other experts, every first Thursday of the month from 18:30 to 19:30 (UK time). The talks cover a variety of subjects related to the menopause and midlife.You can sign up for the free talks via our Ticket Tailor page where you will find a list of forthcoming dates and topics.
Below you will find videos from a selection of the talks:
[where not indicated, talks are from our Clinical Partners, Professor Vikram Talaulikar and Professor Isaac Manyonda]
From our Clinical Partners
- Breast cancer and HRT - an update
- Vulva and vagina during menopause
- Endometriosis and the menopause transition
- Hormone Replacement Therapy - an update
- Testosterone and menopause
- Cognitive and mental health during menopause
- Migraines, the menopause and HRT
- Premature Ovarian Insufficiency
- Fibroids and endometriosis
- HRT and breast cancer - the benefits and risks
Other medical and non-medical topics
- Exercise in menopause - Nikki Hughes
- CBT for menopausal symptoms - Elizabeth Wenden-Kerr
- Neurodiversity and the menopause - Rose Matthews & Dr Rachel Moseley
- Menopause - a GPs perspective - Dr Shashi Prasad
- Dr Angela Sharma: Sex and the menopause
- Dr Angela Sharma: a GP's perspective of the menopause
- Menopause and fitness - Nikki Hughes
Breast cancer and HRT - an update
with Professor Vikram TalaulikarMany women and medical professionals are concerned about the possible relationship between HRT and breast cancer. Many still base their view on the scare that started around 2002-2003. Since then, there have been significant changes in the type of HRT available and a huge amount of evidence to show the positive benefits of HRT for those who wish to take it and who are medically able. The results of the early studies have also been shown to be unreliable.
Vikram talks about the history of HRT, what happened when the scare started and how things have changed hugely since. He talks about the relatively small risk of the right type of HRT and the potentially great benefits to heart, bone and other aspects of health.
Vulva and vagina during menopause
with Professor Vikram TalaulikarThere are many possible changes that may occur with the vulva and vagina during menopause. These may range from mild discomfort to painful sex and GSM (Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause - previously called vaginal atrophy).
Knowing what may be happening and the help and support that is available is very important, as these changes can have a serious impact on a woman's quality of life. Vikram presents an excellent overview, with options for treatment, in a talk full of research-based evidence.
Endometriosis and the menopause transition
with Professor Vikram TalaulikarWhether you have a personal interest in endometriosis or you are a medical professional looking for diagnostic and treatment information, Vikram's talk is for you!
Exercise in menopause
with Nikki Hughes, Menopause fitness expertKeeping fit during the menopause years (and after!) need not be scary or involve expensive equipment. Nikki takes a very common sense view in describing how simple it is to look after ourselves. Finding what you enjoy and what works for you is critical. Building it into everyday life so that it becomes a pleasure, not a chore, will make the whold process enjoyable and easier to maintain.
CBT for menopausal symptoms
with Elizabeth Wenden-Kerr, BMS accredited CBT Group trainerCBT has been proved to be useful in managing vaso-motor symptoms of menopause - like hot flushes and night sweats. Elizabeth, a BMS accredidet trainer for group CBT exmpains what CBT is, how it can be used to help manage symptoms and how it works.
Neurodiversity and the menopause
with Rose Matthews and Dr Rachel MoseleyNeurodivergent people's experience of the menopause transition can be significantly different. Not only that, the peri-menopause can also lead to a previously-unknown diagnosis of neurodiversity.
Menopause - a GP's perspective to help both women and medical professionals
with Dr Shashi PrasadDo you want to get the most out of your precious appointment with the GP or other healthcare professional? Dr Prasad gives an overview of the menopause, things that women may experience as they go through the transition and ideas of how to optimise your time at the surgery to get the result you need.
Finally, Shashi gives some guidance to healthcare professionals about how best to help women presenting with menopause, including some information about risk assessment and presecribing.
HRT - an update
with Professor Vikram TalaulikarProfessor Talaulikar talks about menopause and the options for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), including types available, routes of administration, as well as risks and benefits of the various types.
There is a lot of conflicting information in the media, including from medical professionals. Professor Talaulikar gives a well-balanced presentation of the facts (that are backed up with medical research) - so important with the plethora of misinformation on Social Media and from other sources
Testosterone and menopause
with Professor Vikram TalaulikarProfessor Talaulikar talks about tesosterone and its role, particularly focusing on what happens in peri-menopause and menopause.
He outlines the role of testosterone, what may happen to it during peri-menopause, the effects of deficiency, what options are available and their risks and benefits.
Cognitive and mental health during menopause
with Professor Vikram TalaulikarProfessor Talaulikar talks about cognitive and mental health during menopause, including up-to-date research and information about how HRT may be implicated.
He highlights the stages of the menopause transition and the 'symptoms' linked to mental health.
There is a lot of conflicting information in the media, including from medical professionals. Professor Talaulikar discusses this and finishes stressing the importance of lifestyle factors in looking after our overall wellbeing.
Menopause and fitness
with Nikki Hughes, Mind Body StrongNikki is a fitness expert and has been working with women around the menopause for several years.
She talks about how important it is to select the right way of looking after your physical wellbeing and not following fads and fashions.
Selecting the right programme for you will not only help you physically, but also help you to keep your regime going long-term.
Migraines, the menopause and HRT
with Professor Vikram Talaulikar, Menopause Clinic, London and EsherVikram is an expert in fertility, reproductive endocrinology and post-reproductive health (the menopause).
Migraines are debilitating. Women are more prone to them and there is an association between incidence and hormonal changes. During the peri-menopause, when hormones fluctuate, this can be more significant.
Vikram talks about migraines related to hormone changes throughout life and particularly during the menopause transition. He also discusses the use of HRT and its possible effects in regulating migraines for those able to take it.
Sex and the menopause
with Dr Angela Sharma, GP, Menopause expert and sexologistAngela is a GP with 20 years experience, a BMS accredited Menopause Specialist and a clinical sexologist.
She has a British Menopause Society's Advanced Certificate in Menopause Care and was trained at King's College Hospital in London. She single-handedly set up and run a busy menopause clinic at her NHS practice and offers women full education / advice about menopause, HRT and non-hormonal treatment, as well as lifestyle advice.
Angela is the co-founder of a private online menopause and sexology clinic (Spiced Pear Health). She runs the clinic With her partner, Dr Angela Wright, who has a similar holistic approach to the individual and a particular interest in sexual dysfunction. They want to bring the approach which our NHS patients value so much to a bigger audience, and are committed to increasing the wider access of women to education about menopause and their sexuality.
HRT and breast cancer
with Professor Vikram Talaulikar, Menopause Clinic, London and EsherVikram is an expert in fertility, reproductive endocrinology and post-reproductive health (the menopause).
Breast cancer is a terrible diagnosis and recently there has been a lot of controversy over the risks of HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) in relation to breast cancer, especially in the light of evidence from new studies and re-analysis of results from (now superseded) studies of the early 2000s. It is increasingly recognised that the right HRT, taken in the right formulation for relief from menopausal symptoms, can actually have other long-term health benefits to post-menopausal women.
However, the discussions continue and the long-term evidence is still being collected. But, what about women who have had breast cancer?
Vikram presents up-to-date information about the benefits versus risks of HRT for women with no past breast cancer diagnosis and discusses the options for those who have had breast cancer.
The menopause: a GPs perspective
with Dr Angela Sharma, GP, Menopause expert and sexologistAngela is a GP with 20 years experience, a BMS accredited Menopause Specialist and a clinical sexologist.
She has a British Menopause Society's Advanced Certificate in Menopause Care and was trained at King's College Hospital in London. She single-handedly set up and run a busy menopause clinic at her NHS practice and offers women full education / advice about menopause, HRT and non-hormonal treatment, as well as lifestyle advice.
Angela is the co-founder of a private online menopause and sexology clinic (Spiced Pear Health). She runs the clinic With her partner, Dr Angela Wright, who has a similar holistic approach to the individual and a particular interest in sexual dysfunction. They want to bring the approach which our NHS patients value so much to a bigger audience, and are committed to increasing the wider access of women to education about menopause and their sexuality.
Premature Ovarian Insufficiency
with Professor Vikram Talaulikar, Menopause Clinic, London and EsherVikram is an expert in fertility, reproductive endocrinology and post-reproductive health (the menopause).
Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (or POI) is where the ovaries stop functioning properly significantly earlier in life than the average age of the menopause (51 in the UK). The term POI is used when the menopause happens below the age of 40 and, in some instances, much younger, even in the teens and 20s. It means that there is no more egg activity (although some women (5-10%)) may still conceive naturally if no cause has been found for POI) and the ovaries stop producing oestrogen and progesterone. The lack of hormones can have significant implications for long-term wellbeing including bone, heart and brain health.
Fibroids and endometriosis
with Professor Vikram Talaulikar, Menopause Clinic, London and EsherVikram is an expert in fertility, reproductive endocrinology and post-reproductive health (the menopause).
Both fibroids and endometriosis are hormone-dependent problems. Oestrogen and progesterone have differential effects on the two conditions. Vikram discusses the risks and benefits of HRT for women with menopausal symptoms with a pre-existing diagnosis of either of these conditions.