Access to quality menopause care can be a challenge—especially if you don’t have a family doctor or your provider isn’t trained in menopause. Across Canada, virtual and private menopause clinics are growing, offering new options for women, including some services that require payment. But with choice comes questions: How do you know if the care is reputable, reliable, and right for you?

To help, the Menopause Foundation of Canada, with the support of its Medical Advisory Board, has developed a new guide: How to Assess Virtual and Private Menopause Clinics. This easy-to-use tool is designed to help women feel informed and confident when exploring their options.

The guide provides important questions to ask a provider, such as: Who is delivering the care and what are their qualifications? If there is a cost, what services are included? Are the treatments consistent with Canadian and international guidelines?

It outlines key areas to consider when evaluating a clinic, including the provider’s menopause training, how costs are structured, and whether follow-up support and coordination with your regular healthcare provider are offered. It also encourages women to think about the rationale behind any tests or therapies suggested.

The guide highlights tests women may be asked to purchase, such as hormone level checks, and explains what clinical guidelines say about their value. It also clarifies bioidentical hormone therapy—a marketing term often used for compounded products—and how unregulated products differ from Health Canada–approved therapies.

At the Menopause Foundation of Canada, we believe women deserve trusted information to help make decisions that reflect their needs and priorities—because every woman’s menopause journey is unique.

Explore the new tool today.