"It's just part of getting older." "Your labs are normal." "You're too young for hormones." "Try to get more sleep."

If you're in perimenopause or menopause, there's a good chance you've heard some version of just deal with it. And there's a good chance it didn't help.

October is Menopause Awareness Month, and World Menopause Day is October 18. It's a good time to talk about what menopause care can look like when it's taken seriously, and how our hormone program works.

Why "just deal with it" isn't good enough

Perimenopause and menopause can affect almost every part of life. Broken sleep, hot flashes and night sweats, mood changes, brain fog, joint aches and shifts in weight or body composition can all show up, sometimes years before your periods stop.

These symptoms affect work, relationships and how you feel in your own body. And the hormonal changes of this transition also matter for long-term health, including your heart, bones and brain.

That's why we don't think the answer should be to push through. We think it should be a plan.

Who's on your care team

Our hormone program, the Joyce Method, is led by Dr. Tricia Breckon, ND. She does your clinical assessment, designs your program and provides your ongoing care through every stage. When hormone therapy is part of your plan, there are two ways to access it:

  • Within the program. Prescribing rules differ by province. In BC, Dr. Breckon manages your prescription directly. In Alberta, she works alongside our collaborating medical doctor. Either way, your care stays coordinated in one place.

  • With your own family doctor. If you'd rather keep your prescriptions with your GP, Dr. Breckon will help you prepare for that conversation with your labs, symptom history and a clear summary of what's been recommended, so you can feel confident advocating for yourself.

Whichever route you choose, your plan is built around you, and Dr. Breckon stays with you from your first visit through your final reassessment.

How the program works

Everything starts with an initial consultation: a full health history, a symptom assessment and a comprehensive midlife lab panel. From there, the program moves through four stages, in order. The order is deliberate, because each stage builds on the one before it.

  1. Recalibrate (hormone optimization). If it's clinically appropriate, we start menopausal hormone therapy, guided by your labs and a baseline SECA body composition scan. If hormone therapy isn't right for you, or you'd rather not use it, you get an individualized plan built on the same foundations.

  2. Restore (liver, detox and gut health). Your liver and gut play a big role in processing and clearing hormones. This stage looks at how well those pathways are working and supports them with a personalized protocol.

  3. Rebuild resilience (metabolic reset). Personalized nutrition, a movement plan built around resistance training and repeat body composition scans to track your progress.

  4. Renew vitality (longevity and prevention). A focus on long-term health, including heart health, bone health, brain health and energy. This stage ends with a full reassessment against your starting point and a plan for maintaining your results.

What's included

  • An initial consultation and follow-up visits through each stage

  • A comprehensive midlife lab panel, including markers like fasting insulin, apolipoprotein B, lipoprotein(a), hs-CRP, thyroid and DHEA-S

  • Hormone therapy where it's indicated

  • SECA body composition scans at baseline and as you progress

  • Targeted protocols, nutrition strategy and movement guidance

  • Ongoing monitoring, a final reassessment and a maintenance plan

Where hormone therapy fits

Hormone therapy has a complicated reputation, and a lot of the fear comes from older research that has since been reexamined. According to The Menopause Society's 2022 position statement, for most healthy women with symptoms who are under 60 or within 10 years of menopause, the benefits of hormone therapy outweigh the risks.

That doesn't mean hormone therapy is right for everyone. Your symptoms, health history and personal risk factors all matter, and that's exactly what our assessment is for. Hormones also aren't a magic fix on their own. That's why they're only one part of the program.

Who the program is for

  • Women in perimenopause, which can start as early as the mid-30s

  • Post-menopausal women who want a structured approach to their long-term health

  • Women who aren't candidates for hormone therapy, or who choose not to use it, through a modified pathway

Appointments are available in person at our Calgary clinic or virtually. You need to live in Alberta or British Columbia to join.

How to get started

Not sure if this is the right fit? Start with one of these:

You can also read more about the program on the Joyce Method page.

You don't have to just deal with it.

This article is for general education and isn't a substitute for individual medical advice. If you're experiencing symptoms, please speak with a qualified healthcare provider.