Hormones with Heart

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Hormones with Heart

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An innovative online women’s hormone health clinic for South Africa, supporting pre-, peri- and postmenopause with accessible, personalised, evidence-based care through virtual consultations and tailored treatment plans.

23/10/2026

What does healthy ageing actually look like?

For Dr Melinda, sometimes it looks like four days in the Kalahari, carrying everything she needs on her back.

The conversation around perimenopause often centres on symptoms. And while managing those symptoms matters, there’s a bigger conversation to be had about protecting the strength, muscle, energy, and resilience that allow women to keep doing the things they love as they move through midlife.

That means looking beyond any single intervention and thinking about the whole picture: movement, nutrition, protein, hydration, sleep, recovery, appropriate HRT where indicated, and emerging areas of interest such as creatine.

Because the goal isn’t to stay 30 forever. It’s to support a body that can keep carrying you into whatever comes next.

Even, apparently, when “whatever comes next” involves carrying your bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom through the Kalahari!

20/10/2026

Could the timing of menopause offer clues about brain health later in life?

In a study of approximately 2,600 women with an average age of 78, earlier menopause was associated with faster overall cognitive decline, faster loss of episodic memory and an earlier Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. The relationship appeared stronger following surgical menopause.

Brain-scan findings were more complex: white matter changes accumulated faster following earlier spontaneous menopause, but this pattern was not seen following surgical menopause.

These findings show an association - not cause and effect. Experiencing early menopause does not mean that someone will develop Alzheimer’s disease, and the study does not establish whether menopausal hormone therapy changes this relationship.

Source:
Campagna et al. JAMA Network Open. 2026. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.30973

Educational content only; not individual medical advice.

18/10/2026

Today is World Menopause Day, and the (IMS) theme for the day is Chronic Pain in Midlife.

This important day is all about recognising the pain that women live with at this stage of live in order to provide the better care that they deserve.

To view a host of educational content on the subject, including an insightful white paper, practical infographics, and more, visit bit.ly/4ytVihl

Day

16/10/2026

Does menopausal hormone therapy protect against dementia?

A UK Biobank study followed more than 180,000 women for an average of 13 years. MHT use was associated with a 10% lower relative risk of dementia from any cause. Stronger associations were seen among women with surgical menopause, APOE ε4 carriers and those with lower lifetime exposure to their own oestrogen. The most favourable findings were seen when MHT was started between ages 46 and 56.

A separate American study examined autopsy findings, biomarkers from living participants and clinical outcomes. It found small but significant associations pointing towards a possible protective role for MHT in the course of dementia.

These findings are encouraging, but observational studies can show links—not cause and effect. MHT should not be started solely to prevent dementia based on the current evidence.

Sources:

Squires et al. Alzheimer’s & Dementia. 2026. doi:10.1002/alz.71679

Bruno et al. Neurology. 2026. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000218413

Educational content only; not individual medical advice.

14/10/2026

Behind Hormones with Heart are three doctors with one shared belief: women deserve to feel heard, understood, and properly supported when it comes to their hormones.

Meet Dr Skye Scott, Dr Bianca Visser, and Dr Melinda Whitfield.

As GPs with specialised training in menopause medicine, they bring together experience across women’s hormonal health, integrative medicine, primary care, occupational health, and health education.

What really connects them is their approach to care. At Hormones with Heart, we know that no two women experience hormonal change in exactly the same way. Your symptoms, medical history, lifestyle, priorities, and experience are uniquely yours, which means your care should be, too.

Whether you’re navigating perimenopause, menopause, or simply trying to understand why you don’t quite feel like yourself, our doctors are here to listen, help you make sense of what’s happening, and explore evidence-based treatment options that are right for you. Visit bit.ly/4qcbq4y

12/10/2026

Can you use HRT after breast cancer? It’s a question without a simple yes-or-no answer.

Historically, systemic hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was generally avoided after breast cancer, largely because earlier research raised concerns about an increased risk of recurrence.

Today, the conversation is becoming more nuanced and individualised. When considering HRT after breast cancer, there are several important factors to take into account, including:

• The type of breast cancer you had
• Whether it was oestrogen receptor-positive (ER+)
• How much time has passed since your diagnosis
• Your individual risk of recurrence
• The severity and impact of your menopausal symptoms
• Your personal preferences and quality of life

For women who have had ER+ breast cancer, systemic HRT may still increase the risk of recurrence, particularly during the first 5–10 years following treatment. It therefore cannot be considered risk-free.

However, more recent expert discussions suggest that for some carefully selected women with a lower risk of recurrence, the absolute increase in the risk of distant relapse may be relatively small.

This does not mean that HRT is suitable for every breast cancer survivor. What it does mean is that the decision deserves a more personalised conversation, weighing potential risks against symptoms, wellbeing, and quality of life.

Most importantly, this is not a decision you need to navigate alone. Any consideration of HRT after breast cancer should involve shared decision-making between you, your menopause clinician, and your oncology team.

Reach out to our doctors and discuss your individual needs: bit.ly/3QY1nCX

References: Holmberg et al., JNCI (2008); Glynne et al., Menopause Consensus Review (2025/2026); Bluming & Tavris, Estrogen Matters / Cancer Journal Commentary (2022).

08/10/2026

A super insightful note from Dr Bianca about her favourite lecture at the International Menopause Society World Congress...

"One of the most thought-provoking talks I've attended was by Dr Robert Langer, one of the original researchers involved in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), a major study that changed the way the world viewed menopause hormone therapy (MHT).

In 2002, the study made headlines when it was reported that hormone therapy increased the risk of breast cancer and other serious health problems.

The result? Fear spread around the world. Millions of women stopped taking hormone therapy, prescriptions dropped dramatically, and many doctors became reluctant to prescribe it.

But here's what many women don't know: the way the findings were communicated didn't tell the full story.

Dr Langer explained how important details were overlooked, including the age of the women in the study (the average was 63), the type of hormone therapy used, and how risks can differ depending on when treatment begins.

He also shared how he had challenged the reporting of these findings from the beginning, warning that the headlines would create unnecessary fear.

More than 20 years later, our understanding of MHT has evolved significantly.

We now know that, for many healthy women who start treatment before 60 or within 10 years of menopause, the benefits of MHT can outweigh the risks. But treatment is never one-size-fits-all.

In November 2025, the US FDA announced changes to long-standing warnings on hormone therapy products, recognising the importance of age, timing, and individual risk.

After the lecture, I asked Dr Langer why the original findings had been communicated the way they were, and why it had taken more than two decades to address these concerns.

My biggest takeaway?

Women deserve to make decisions about their health based on the best available evidence, not fear created by headlines more than 20 years ago.

My hope is that we continue moving towards a future where doctors feel confident having informed conversations about hormone therapy, and women understand both the benefits and risks of their options.

We owe the next generation better."

06/10/2026

From Rio de Janeiro to the women we care for back home....

Our very own Dr Bianca Visser has just attended the 20th World Congress on Menopause, hosted by the , joining thousands of healthcare professionals and leading experts from around the world to explore the latest research and advances in menopause medicine.

And she's returned with plenty of insights worth sharing! Some of her highlights...

BRAIN FOG DESERVES MORE ATTENTION.
New data presented at the congress suggests that brain fog affects as many as 86% of women during perimenopause and menopause, compared to 54% experiencing hot flushes and night sweats.

MENOPAUSE MATTERS IN THE WORKPLACE.
An insightful presentation highlighted the positive association between menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), job satisfaction, and women's ability to remain active and engaged in the workforce.

SEXUAL WELLBEING IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF MENOPAUSE CARE.
Packed discussions explored the physical, psychological, and social complexities of sexual health, reminding us that comfortable, pain-free intimacy matters and that there are often effective ways to improve it.

THE CONVERSATION AROUND TESTOSTERONE CONTINUES.
A debate featuring world-renowned expert Prof Susan Davis drew such an incredible crowd that attendees were standing outside the lecture hall!
..and much more

We're grateful to Dr Bianca for bringing these global conversations, fresh perspectives, and valuable learnings back to our team and, ultimately, to the women we support every day.

01/10/2026

Progress isn’t always a straight line; it can involve finding the right treatment, listening to your body, and adjusting along the way.

When one of our patients began her treatment plan with us, she was struggling with severe anxiety, low mood, disrupted sleep, and a growing need to withdraw from the people and plans she once enjoyed. At one point, her anxiety reached 10/10, her mood dropped to as low as 1/10, and she found herself cancelling plans because everything felt overwhelming.

With ongoing support, her treatment was carefully adjusted and monitored over the following weeks, and gradually, things began to shift.

She started wanting to see people again, and felt motivated to go out. Her anxiety settled, and her mood became more consistently positive. She began exercising again.

Recently, her symptom tracker has started telling a different story to what it did at the beginning: anxiety consistently at 0/10, less pain, better sleep overall, more social connection, and repeated days where her mood reached 10/10.

“Feeling amazing, positive and motivated,” is what she eventually shared and we love to hear.

Treatment is deeply individual, and finding what works can take time. But this is why personalised menopause care matters - it’s not simply about prescribing hormones, but about listening, monitoring, adjusting, and working together to help you feel more like yourself again.

If you’re struggling with symptoms of perimenopause or menopause, you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Let's chat: bit.ly/4h1vx2A

28/09/2026

Do your hot flushes place you at higher risk? And what about those of us who don't have them?

Menopause medicine has traditionally been organised around bothersome symptoms. Even if you ask clinicians what they associate with menopause, they are likely to say hot flushes! Some of us will never experience a hot flush, but we will all be affected by the precipitous drop in hormone production at a physiological level. Vasomotor disturbance, sleep disruption, altered bleeding, mood symptoms and genitourinary complaints are only the facade of this transition. A more interesting question is, is there a difference in impact between women who have symptoms and women who don't?

Follow the link in our bio to learn more from Dr Melinda.

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Sandton

Website

https://linktr.ee/hormoneswithheart_

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