Treating Menopause in Healthcare Today with Jessica Bawden

More than one in five Canadian adults doesn’t have access to a family doctor or nurse practitioner. And for women going through menopause, that gap in care can feel like a black hole, where symptoms are diminished, misunderstood, or ignored entirely.

With me on the Medsplaining podcast today is Nurse Practitioner and Certified Menopause Provider Jessica Bawden, who’s been caring for women across the reproductive spectrum for over 13 years at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto.

We talk about what menopause symptoms look like in patients today, how the Canadian healthcare system is treating women in midlife, and what we’re doing in our own practices to bridge the gap. It’s an honest, deeply personal conversation about what happens when your body starts changing, and no one around you seems to know what to do.

01:51 Welcome, Jessie Bawden, to Medsplaining!

04:13 The top five reasons women show up at Jessie’s door.

06:15 How healthcare providers are (or aren’t) stepping up.

10:01 The gaslighting we’re done with: “It’s All in Your Head”

11:51 How we cracked the code on hot flashes.

14:40 Jessie’s client story that says it all.

22:26 Weight, and diet…Welcome to the lifestyle tangle.

26:16 Breaking down the why behind the brain fog.

29:09 Jessie’s treatment triage. Who gets what?

34:31 Hormone therapy’s double standard.

37:06 Testosterone for women: Hype or help?

42:45 Jessie’s wish list for better menopause care.

This episode was made possible thanks to an education grant from Bayer Canada.

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