Supporting the Strength of Women – Navigating Menopause with Georgia Watson
Menopause will affect 51% of the population directly (all women), so it’s a topic we really need to get better at talking about.
In this episode, Nicky does just that as she sits down with Georgia Watson, Menopause Service Coordinator for the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, for a frank, refreshingly practical conversation about what menopause actually looks like, and the specialist support available for women navigating it.
The numbers are eye-opening. While the average age of menopause in Australia is 51, perimenopause can begin years earlier and last up to seven years for some women. Around 80% will experience symptoms like joint aches, brain fog, and mood changes, with 20% facing symptoms severe enough to disrupt daily life. Add to that the fact that 40% of perimenopausal women experience anxiety or depression, and that 1 in 2 women will break a bone post-menopause, and it's clear why this deserves far more attention than it typically gets.
Nicky and Georgia discuss how menopause so often collides with some of the biggest transitions in a woman's life: kids leaving home, career milestones, shifting relationships. Georgia unpacks how this overlap can quietly stretch and even erode resilience and coping capacity, amplifying the effects of symptoms for the individual.
She also walks through what real support looks like: the ISLHD clinic's allied health-led approach, from initial assessments through to hormonal therapies, nutrition, exercise, and behavioural strategies tailored to the individual including the importance of strength, balance, and impact-based exercise for protecting bone density and long-term resilience as ageing progresses.
This episode isn’t just for women going through menopause themselves. Nicky and Georgia make the case that menopause is a whole of community issue with relevance to partners, friends, colleagues, and employers alike and how awareness and simple practical shifts can make a real difference.
Knowledge is power and this episode delivers it with warmth, honesty, and expertise. Whether you're navigating menopause yourself, supporting someone who is or just want to know more about it, there's something here for you and it’s reassuring to know that the women of the region have access to the services of Georgia and the team at the Illawarra Shoalhaven Menopause Service.
Resources and Links:
The Jean Hailes website: which has a huge amount of information on women's health topics including menopause
Healthy Bones Australia website (factsheet on menopause and bone health)
Beyond Blue resource video with Prof Kulkarni discussing menopausal depression
