New Montreal clinic aims to break the taboo around menopause
A new clinic in Montreal is trying to break the discomfort of talking about menopause – a discomfort experts say is leading to a lack of research, education and care.
Since opening in January, 162 patients have walked through the door at Clinique Méno-Joie, and its phone has been ringing off the hook.
"There's a need, 100 per cent," said Marie-Josee Bourassa, the founder of the private health clinic.
After working in the public system for 26 years, Bourassa made the difficult but necessary decision to leave.
"After analyzing the gaps in our public health care. I realized that women were lacking services and expertise with regard to midlife health, perimenopause and menopause, more specifically," she said.
Bourassa believes Meno-Joie is the only clinic of its kind in Quebec.
"We're going through a holistic approach, a full width of tests and analyses and evaluations to pinpoint if what they're experiencing is normal and offer solutions and offer health care," she said.
The nurse-led clinic works with middle-aged patients who are experiencing up to 50 symptoms of menopause that can severely affect their daily lives, including hot flashes and brain fog.
"It's a partnership and developing wellness at a time in life where women typically don't feel well. So it's extremely inspiring," said Diane Tkalec, a nurse clinician at the clinic.
It's something everyone facing menopause experiences, but experiences differently.
Meno-Joie's goal is to treat as many symptoms in one place, said Bourassa.
Marie-Josee Bourassa, founder of Clinique Meno-Joie. (CTV News)There is a nutritionist, coach and psychotherapist on staff, and every treatment plan is unique.
"It's highly personalized. There is no. 'This is the treatment plan for ABCDE,' you know, cut, paste, cut, paste. It's not that at all," said Tkalec.
The aim is to change the mindset around menopause and alleviate the shame and taboo around it.
"Menopause is a very normal, justified phase in every woman's life. Everybody. It's an obliged passage," said Bourassa.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.