How to Find a Menopause Doctor

Types of menopause providers

Should you see your primary care physician or ob-gyn for menopause care? Look for a new one? Or retain a separate provider to help you navigate menopause?

The answer isn’t that simple; it depends on your doctor’s training.

A family medicine or internal medicine doctor, or an ob-gyn, can be certified to treat menopause, as can nurse practitioners or physicians’ assistants, says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, MSCP, director of the Mayo Clinic Office of Women's Health and medical director for the Menopause Society. Endocrinologists, cardiologists and dermatologists are also getting certified, Birkholz adds. Psychiatrists, physical therapists and nutritionists are as well, says Dr. Holly N. Thomas, MSCP, an internist and assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

However, it may help to see a separate menopause specialist if your primary doctor is not one, says Dr. LaReesa Ferdinand, an ob-gyn from Winter Haven, Florida. “Menopause is not just gynecology — it impacts metabolic, heart, brain, and sexual health,” she says.

Many women benefit from what she calls a “board of directors” for their health, where a menopause-focused clinician works alongside their primary care doctor.

Not everyone will have access to a certified provider based on where they live, Birkholz notes. In that case, look for a clinician you trust. If you seek out an online specialty clinic or find an MSCP that offers telehealth, retain a local provider who can coordinate in-person visits if you need monitoring or lab work, Birkholz says. See your primary care doctor yearly, as they can spot physical changes that an online provider may miss, Thomas adds.

Finding a menopause doctor

These tips can help you start your search:

Talk to your doctor. If your provider doesn’t seem to know much about menopause symptoms and treatments, or brushes you off, that may be your signal to look elsewhere. Some doctors know their boundaries and will tell you up front that they’re not the best provider for menopause care and will refer you to someone else, Birkholz says. 

Ask a friend. “Word of mouth is still definitely valuable,” Thomas says. Ask other women you trust if they have a doctor they like and trust who has helped them navigate menopause.

Look for specialty care. There aren’t enough certified providers for all the women who are experiencing menopause, Thomas says. Search the Menopause Society’s database to find an MSCP, says Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a clinical professor at Yale School of Medicine, gynecologist and MSCP who manages the women’s health hub MadameOvary.org.

If you can’t secure one locally, look for a provider with some additional training or expertise caring for midlife women, Birkholz says — “not just somebody who says, ‘I do menopause.’ ”

Your local hospital may have a center for women in midlife, suggests Dr. Candice Fraser, an MSCP and ob-gyn at the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness at Mount Sinai in New York City.

“The best doctor for menopause care isn’t defined by their title but by their training,” Hirsch says, adding that the MSCP designation is a “strong signal” that the provider has specialized expertise in midlife women’s health.

Consider online. “A good menopause clinic, online or in-person, should provide individualized care, follow-ups and a clear plan for managing your overall health — not just your symptoms,” says Hirsch, who formerly headed up clinical quality for the online menopause clinic Midi Health and launched her own telemedicine menopause practice, The Collaborative, in 2023. Still, there are some considerations with online clinics. (Read: Online Health Companies Are Booming: Here’s What Consumers Should Know Before Clicking.)

Prioritize collaboration. Many women keep their primary care doctor or ob-gyn for general care while also seeing a menopause specialist, Hirsch adds. That combination often works best as long as your care team communicates and your care feels coordinated, personalized and thorough, she adds.

What to expect from a visit

Your menopause provider should evaluate your cardiometabolic, bone, mental and sexual health, Birkholz says. Birkholz performs a full cardiometabolic panel and a baseline bone density test on her menopause patients. A menopause provider should ask if you have had any hormonal issues, such as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) or complications during any pregnancy, which may predict menopause severity, she adds.

They should ask about symptoms, sleep habits, mood, body aches, vaginal or sexual changes, and your menstrual history, Thomas says.

What’s more, it’s critical for health care providers to rule out other conditions that may explain hormone-related symptoms, Birkholz says.

Testing should support the clinical picture, not replace it, Ferdinand says. “Women are often told everything is ‘normal’ based on a single lab value, even when they don’t feel well,” she says. There is no single test that defines menopause care — it’s the combination of clinical insight, symptoms and targeted labs (like thyroid, metabolic markers and nutrients) that guides good decisions.

Women should have routine assessments of cardiovascular risk factors, including blood pressure checks, lipid testing and glucose or hemoglobin A1C testing. Routine mammograms and cervical cancer screenings are recommended as well, Faubion says.

If you haven’t had lab work in a while, the doctor may order it, Thomas says. Hormone level testing depends on the individual, though it’s not always necessary with a thorough clinical exam, Thomas says.

Based on tests and evaluations, your doctor will determine the best available options to treat your symptoms, which may include prescription hormone and nonhormonal therapies.