On World Menopause Day Sinai Health is pleased to announce that Phase One of the creation of its Centre for Mature Women’s Health is complete. This means the initial $15 million fundraising goal has been met, and the centre has appointed a Director, internationally renowned menopause expert Dr. Wendy Wolfman. Sinai Health is now launching Phase Two on the one-year anniversary of having announced the creation of the centre.

Phase Two entails bringing together all existing clinics providing care to mature women and adding new areas of focus, ensuring specialized care will be provided for a broad spectrum of health issues that affect mature women. Featuring a fully integrated multi-disciplinary clinic approach, the areas of specialized care include Menopause, Premature Ovarian Insufficiency, Abnormal Uterine Bleeding, Urogynecology & Female Pelvic Medicine, Vulvar Disease and Sexual Medicine, with supporting programs planned for Breast Disorders & Cancer Survivorship, Psychiatry & Mental Health, Osteoarthritis, and Osteoporosis & Joint Function. Future programs will focus on Sleep Disorders, Nutritional Sciences/Metabolic Conditions and Cardiology & Heart Disease.

Once open, the centre will be a space tailored to its target patient population of mature women, with features designed to ensure comfort and ease of patient experience. While patients at Sinai Health’s Centre for Mature Women’s Health will initially largely be GTA-based, the work done at the centre will have national and international impact, as it develops standards for care delivery and conducts research that has global implications. Boasting North America’s only Chair in Menopause, the centre also features an international fellowship program, one of the few menopause post-graduate fellowship programs in North America.

Sinai Health first announced its Centre for Mature Women to address a glaring health equity issue in Canada, which is that mature women dealing with the symptoms of menopause and a variety of other related issues are not easily able to access treatment and specialized care, and are often unaware that treatment options exist. In a survey commissioned by Sinai Health in 2022, which spoke to 1,200 women ages 40+ across Canada, more than a third of respondents were not aware that treatment options exist for menopause and perimenopause. Only half of those who consulted their doctor about menopause, perimenopause and pelvic floor disorders were prescribed any actual treatment.

"We are just beginning to have open and honest conversations about the health challenges that many women encounter as they get older. It is critical that we send the message that help is available for women with symptoms, but we must also build capacity and expertise in the health-care system," said Dr. Wendy Wolfman, Director of the Menopause and Premature Ovarian Insufficiency Clinics at Mount Sinai Hospital and the Director of Sinai Health’s Centre for Mature Women’s Health. “The need for this type of specialized, focused care is urgent, and Sinai Health’s commitment to addressing the health inequity mature women face demonstrates its leadership in supporting women’s health across the lifespan and the full continuum of care.”

The continuation of Phase Two of the centre will include the development of a new, larger, integrated physical space, investment in state-of-the-art equipment, mobilization of research efforts, promotion of menopause in medical education, and cultivating future leaders. Finally, phase three will support core research operations, lay the foundation for long-term collaboration and establishing first-of-their-kind Chairs in emerging fields related to mature women's health.

To learn more about the new Centre for Mature Women's Health and to donate, please visit www.maturewomenshealth.ca.