Perimenopause Research… it’s VITAL!

Calling all Perimenopausal women! Please donate a few minutes of your time to help grow this ground-breaking new database, and support the next generation of Perimenopause research.

VITAL is named this way because it’s VITAL that we invite real people across our community to tell us what perimenopause and menopause means for them. You are our “VITAL voice” on what Peri really means, what really matters and its true impact.

Most importantly, that voice will define what changes in research, education and policy must be implemented to make VITAL changes in Australian health outcomes. Together with the expert clinicians, researchers and community representatives, VITAL registry information will be used to:

• design, drive and discover more about perimenopause,
• determine the impact of peri/ menopause symptoms and associated risk factors,
• develop care pathways & assess effectiveness, and
• assess what is most relevant and of highest priority to the Australian community.

We will use VITAL to streamline authorised, relevant and ethical research. This will eventually translate to improved community healthcare outcomes such as community education, clinical advice, informing significant health conditions (cardiovascular disease, mental health, diabetes, ageing, etc) and/or health-system use where appropriate, plus longer-term government and workplace policies to make vital improvements in Australian health outcomes.

Information given to VITAL will be used for the purposes of learning and improving the peri-/menopause experience. We will safeguard privacy and confidentiality to the highest levels, using VITAL information only when appropriately and ethically authorised, e.g. de-identified, and protecting confidentiality in any reviews and reports of this study which may be published.

There is zero pharmaceutical company influence allowed on VITAL set-up, conduct, results or reports. For any and all questions please refer to our website: https://app.datadissect.com.au/f/vital-menopause or contact us via: vitalperimeno@gmail.com

We are grateful for every piece of information you can offer (make sure you save at the end!). Each response helps us build upon our knowledge-base so we can improve the way we recognise, understand, diagnose, treat, fund and improve policies around perimenopause care in Australia.

-A/Prof Erin Morton

VITAL is led by researcher A/Prof Erin Morton, who became interested in this area when she found herself part of the peri-/menopause community a few years ago, and discovered how much more there is to find out & improve.

As one of 13 million current Australians born with ovaries, of whom 3 million are in the commonest peri/menopausal age bracket of 40-59 years old, and being in the approximately 1 million who experience symptoms that impact severely on daily life, she wanted to use her research experience to initiate a platform that could contribute to improvements for all.

How do I Contribute Information to VITAL?

Contributors are initally asked to take 5 minutes to tell us something about themselves and their understanding, opinions and sources of information on peri/menopause (5 steps total). This will help us understand what their interest in peri/menopause is, and the best ways to improve peri/menopause communications nationally.

There are only 2 mandatory answers in all of VITAL, taking about 30 secs; if you answer stating that you’re in peri-/menopause then you’ll be asked additional “baseline” questions (21 steps total), and followed up with shorter questions 4 times a year to see if anything’s changed for you (until your experience stabilises post-menopausally or you ask us not to).

Depending on the information you choose to give, e.g. multiple ‘yes’ answers, additional details, and/or feedback suggestions on registry improvements, the questions could take anywhere from the original 5min to approximately 30 minutes.

What is WellFemme About?

If you can’t find the professional help you need for your menopause or perimenopausal symptoms then book a Telehealth consultation with an expert WellFemme menopause doctor.

WellFemme is Australia’s first dedicated Telehealth menopause clinic, servicing locations nationwide including: Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Darwin, Perth, Hobart, Brisbane, Dubbo, Bendigo, Broken Hill, Broome, Alice Springs, Launceston, Cairns, Mildura, Lightning Ridge, Kalgoorlie, Albany, Toowoomba, Charleville, Port Headland, Katherine, Ballarat, Coober Pedy, Bourke, Albury… and your place! 🙂