Preparing For Your First Appointment...
Here is a simple step-by-step guide that walks you through the process of being seen at Milestone - Menopause Centre of Southern Alberta. Please note, as we follow evidence-based menopause guidelines, we do not recommend or endorse Dutch testing, salivary gland testing or excessive hormonal testing. Women in premature or early menopause may require additional hormone testing at the discretion of the physician.
We require a referral from your doctor's office to schedule an appointment. The referral form is available on our website which you can download here. You can also consider printing this off and completing this with your doctor to help them arrange the referral. Please ensure all your demographic information including your email address is provided. (Note: All services provided by Milestone are covered by your active Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (other than pelvic floor physiotherapy services).
01
REFERRAL
Once a referral is received, it will go through a triage process to assess eligibility and urgency. The more information that is included, the better we can appropriately triage your referral. An urgent referral is generally seen within 8 weeks. A semi-urgent referral will be seen in 4-6 months. A routine referral will take > 6 months. Our hope is that by increasing our team of menopause professionals, we will be able to decrease the wait times.
02
TRIAGE
Once your referral is triaged, you will need to complete an online questionnaire which will be emailed to you through our online portal Ava Connect. This should ideally be completed six weeks prior to your first appointment. Please allocate 30 minutes to complete this. It is helpful to have all your medical history, current prescribed medications and over the counter medications with you while you complete the forms.
03
QUESTIONNAIRE
Your first appointment is a 30 minute in-person or telephone appointment (based on your preference) with our registered nurse. She will review your questionnaire and ensure the completeness of the history. If your history warrants additional blood work or investigations, she will send these to you to complete.
04
NURSE ONLY APPOINTMENT
Your second appointment will be booked with the doctor. This is a 30 to 45 minute consultation appointment in person. This appointment will entail a detailed review of your menopausal symptoms, your medical history and a risk assessment which considers your breast, heart and bone health. A menopause care plan will be provided to you at the end of the appointment. We are currently located inside Mahogany Medical Clinic at #670, 7 Mahogany Plaza SE Calgary Alberta.
05
MENOPAUSE CONSULTATION APPOINTMENT
Follow-up appointments are booked as required based on your treatment plan. In general, if you are started on menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), you will be seen every three months until your therapy is optimized.
06
FOLLOW UP APPOINTMENTS
Not all women need, can or desire to use menopausal hormone therapy. However, if you are on menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), a yearly assessment is recommended to review your medication as well as complete a risk assessment. This allows for shared and informed decision-making around the continued and safe use of hormone therapy. As per the current guidelines, menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) does not need to be terminated after 5 years of use or after age 60.
07
YEARLY FOLLOW UP
We encourage you to connect with us online for any inquiries or concerns. Please feel free to use the "Contact Us" link on our website. We currently do not employ an administrative assistant. As part of our commitment to technological advancement, we aim to facilitate communication through digital channels.
08
QUESTIONS
We look forward to welcoming you to Milestone - Menopause Centre of Southern Alberta to validate and support your experience of menopause.
