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 Taylor 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]

Menopause - a GP's perspective to help both women and medical professionals

with Dr Shashi Prasad
Do 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 Talaulikar
Professor 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 Talaulikar
Professor 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 Talaulikar
Professor 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 Strong
Nikki 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 Esher
Vikram 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 sexologist
Angela 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 Esher
Vikram 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 sexologist
Angela 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 Esher
Vikram 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 Esher
Vikram 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.