I am an attentive and enthusiastic GP who believes in holistic patient
care. I obtained my Medical Degree in the UK followed by hospital internship that included Obstetrics and Gynaecology, General Medicine, Surgery, Paediatrics and Psychiatry. Having been a GP for nine wonderful years, I have developed a clinical interest in Women’s Health and then a specialism in Menopause care.

I am a Menopause Specialist and I hold an Advanced Certificate in Menopause Care. I am also a member of the Australian, British and International Menopause Societies and regularly attend national and international conferences. I am a Fellow of Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and a Member of Royal College of General Practitioners (UK).

Throughout my medical career I have seen many female patients whose symptoms of fatigue, joint pain, anxiety and depression where separately considered in a merry go round of tests and referrals without the underlying cause of hormonal changes being properly addressed.

Dr Hilma Starostina
BSc, MBChB, MRCGP, FRACGP, Adv Cert PPMC, LoC IUT & SDI (FSRH)

Hormonal and other physiological changes that occur during perimenopause and menopause can affect even the most resilient women. Furthermore, hormonal changes can have long term health effects, such as increased risk of heart disease and osteoporosis. I believe that non-hormonal and, where appropriate, hormonal treatment in the form of MHT are important to consider for short term and long term wellbeing.

In a few weeks, 18 October is World Menopause Day. It is doubly exciting as the biggest international conference on the subject of menopause and women’s hormone health is starting on that day in Melbourne. The world’s experts on menopause and women’s health are presenting and discussing all the latest research and developments over the course of 5 days. I am very pleased indeed to be attending and cannot wait to bring the gems from the conference into my practice.

For menopause care several appointments are usually required:

– Initial appointment 45 minutes during which we will cover in detail your medical history, lifestyle, other aspects such as work that may play a role and aim to come up with a plan of treatment. If you have had any tests done in the past 12 months or so, please bring these with you if possible.

– Follow up appointments 15-45 minutes dependent on requirements

I am also interested in lifestyle and preventative medicine, healthspan and cardiovascular health.

I offer all GP Services with the following specialisms:

*  All aspects of Menopause care and Women’s Health
*  IUD including Mirena and Copper coils
*  Contraception implants (Implanon)
*  Cardiovascular health
*  Mental Health

For excellent resources regarding menopause please see:

https://www.menopause.org.au/health-info

https://www.menopause.org.au/images/factsheets/Menopause_What_are_the_symptoms.pdf