MEET THE MENOPAUSE TEAM

Dr Victoria Freire is a specialist in women’s health and education as well as being a GMC registered GP with over 6 years’ experience. Her passion for women’s health began whilst she was a junior doctor, and she has continued to develop this skillset throughout her career. She has gained a Postgraduate Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and in addition to her menopause knowledge is qualified to fit coils and implants.  Dr Victoria is passionate about knowledge sharing, both with her patients as well as fellow medics. She is involved in the training education and examination of both medical students and junior doctors.

For the past 5 years Dr Victoria has been working alongside Professor Phillips every week in their joint gynaecology clinic at Basingstoke Hospital. Due to the success of this clinic they now also have an additional clinic in the community, to improve patient care and access and have published a joint article to increase the awareness of the importance of women’s health.

Women’s health, and in particular the menopause, is close to Dr Victoria’s heart. Patients deserve high quality, accessible and evidence driven care at every stage in their lives. The perimenopause and menopause are no exception to this and possibly even more so, as women have particular vulnerabilities at this stage in their lives. Dr Victoria and the team provide an honest, caring and evidence-based approach, essential for the best outcomes for all women.

Dr Mandy Leonhardt is a fully qualified and GMC registered GP. She has a particular interest in women’s health and her ongoing professional development reflects this passion. Dr Mandy offers a private clinic which specialises in the holistic assessment and individualized treatment of hormonal imbalances at every stage of a woman’s life: Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), Postnatal Depression, Perimenopause and Menopause. Her aim is to give women the best evidence based, personally tailored advice about treatment options for hormonal imbalances and healthy ageing.

During her consultations she will discuss treatments that are available both on the NHS, as well as privately and include hormone replacement therapy, nutrition, lifestyle, and supplements to ensure a holistic approach.

Professor Christian Phillips is the senior gynaecologist at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital and is also a visiting professor at the university of Winchester. He has nearly 30 years’ experience in gynaecology and has been a consultant for 19 years. Professor Phillips specialises in common general gynaecological conditions affecting the menopause including abnormal bleeding, pelvic pain, and fibroids. He is an expert in treating problems that affect the pelvic floor including urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse which become more common and more severe during the menopause.

Professor Phillips is a key opinion leader in the field of urogynaecology, laser treatments for problems affecting the menopause as well as developing treatment programmes around the world in laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery and laser therapy.

Mary is a Chartered Physiotherapist and Pilates Instructor based in Hampshire, working privately and for the NHS. Since specialising in Women’s and Pelvic health, Mary has followed her passion in treating conditions that can significantly impact on a woman’s quality of life, such as incontinence, pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, and menopause. She has a wealth of experience and NHS training, and she is an associate member of the Association of Pelvic Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapists (POGP). Mary has over 18 years of experience and combines her Pilates skills and expert knowledge and understanding of the body to help clients reach their true potential.

Sally Qualified in 1990 from the Middlesex Hospital School of Physiotherapy. She has full accreditation MCSP/ SRP and is a Member of ACPWH (Association of Chartered Physiotherapists Women’s Health). Sally specialises in the treatment of urogynaecological conditions and pelvic floor dysfunction including urinary and bowel dysfunction, pelvic organ prolapse and dyspareunia (painful intercourse).

Sally teaches pelvic floor exercise, electrical stimulation, biofeedback, bladder retraining and manages patients referred for conservative management or pre or post operative physiotherapy.

Sally was appointed as a Specialist Physiotherapist Pelvic Floor Clinic at Basingstoke & North Hants Trust in 2009 and has a flourishing pelvic floor clinic in Berkshire.

Her previous experience includes 15 years specialising in Women’s Health Physiotherapy both in the NHS and private practice setting. Prior to moving south in 2009 Sally help set up and develop the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Physiotherapy service at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, London and worked as a Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist at St George’s Hospital, London where she had an active role in the urogynaecology department and managed the perineal clinic for women with pelvic floor problems following childbirth.

Sharon Burford was an Allied Health Care professional for 6 years in the British Army, a qualified Personal Trainer since 2019 and a Surgical Assistant since 2022. With an avid interest in women’s health, she devotes her work to helping women lose weight and achieve their goals, not just for aesthetic reasons but to improve their overall health and wellness. Sharon has helped hundreds of women from a variety of backgrounds and medical conditions. She does this by creating plans that are flexible and bespoke to the individual, catering for their specific goals with regular adjustments as symptoms or lifestyles permit.

Sharon has also worked regularly with Professor Phillips and other surgeons at the Hampshire Clinic, assisting during surgery in the operating theatre.

Beatrice is a Well woman and Menopause Yoga teacher offering weekly classes and monthly workshops in Hampshire. She has been practicing yoga for over 20 years and teaching it for 6 years. Beatrice trained with Yoga London, Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and Petra Coveney.

As a qualified and accredited Menopause Yoga teacher she is delighted to be able to create a safe, inclusive, warm, nurturing space for women to gain knowledge and understanding of the perimenopause and menopause, practice movement, breathing practices, deep relaxation, and meditation as well as share in their experiences. Bea also plays crystal sound bowls so beautiful soundscapes are always included in her workshops as is a deep sense of calm and acceptance having also worked as a facilitator and teacher for many years, she has a real skill in holding space for women to come together.

Bea runs Menopause Yoga workshops and Self Care Sundays in Hartley Wintney as well as weekly Vinyasa Flow and Slow Flow classes in Hartley Wintney and Upton Grey.

Liz is a Psychosexual Therapist and Relationship Counsellor. For the past 30 years she has been working in the counselling world in the UK, Europe, USA, and Asia. Liz was originally trained by Relate and is a Registered Member of COSRT (College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists).

Liz has experience and qualifications in delivering counselling via telephone and face to face – with increased demand for Counselling via Zoom / Skype has also qualified in Working Online and has a Certificate awarded by COSRT.

Liz works in a psychodynamic and integrative way, using tools from object relations, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and a systemic approach. Life can be a complicated and often people present with feelings of being overwhelmed by emotions that they really don’t understand. Counselling can make sense of these overwhelming feelings and create new behaviours that can enable you to move forward with a greater understanding of your behaviours, both positive and negative. Therapists often steer clear of the word ‘Journey’, but sometimes learning how to create and keep stable, emotional, and sexual relationships is a journey.

Her interest in Psychosexual Therapy came about after a significant number of her Relationship Counselling clients presented having been abused as children and this abuse affected their lives in so many ways, not least in their sexual development. This spurred Liz on to do further training in Psychosexual Therapy (PST). PST can be challenging, creative and transformative and trust between client and therapist is paramount. Experienced and well trained Psychosexual Therapists have a very high positive outcome from therapy.

Dr Tanja Phillips is a leading laser specialist based in Hampshire and a GMC registered GP.  Dr Tanja graduated from Southampton University in 1994. With over 21 years of clinical experience, she has developed her skills in the non-surgical laser field combining the science of the laser with the art of tailoring treatments to the individual’s needs. She is internationally recognised by her peers and the Laser and Health Academy as a key opinion leader for laser aesthetics.

She is an expert lecturer for Fotona laser treatments and has lectured both in the UK, at the Royal Society of Medicine, and abroad at international conferences. Her non-surgical aesthetic treatments are undertaken with the highest quality and safety standards, working within 2 clinics, both fully CQC and laser compliant. Dr Tanja is the lead trainer for the Fotona laser in the UK. She is passionate about training and is currently constructing additional training programmes so that standards are met within this industry to ensure patient safety goes alongside excellent results.

Jane is a Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and a member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and the Complementary & Healthcare Council (CNHC).

Jane’s journey to understanding her own hormonal imbalances, particularly regarding PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome), perimenopause, and menopause, spans over 30 years. Throughout these phases, Jane has continued educating herself about women’s hormonal health through continuous research, self-development and proactive healthcare.

Jane has a passion to educate and support others in balancing their hormones holistically by emphasizing the importance of a healthy gut microbiome, maintaining stable blood sugar levels, stress reduction, good sleep hygiene, a balanced diet, mindful eating, and limiting toxins.

Achieving hormone balance takes time and patience. Your personal journey to health is unique to you. Working together over a series of consultations, using a comprehensive health and lifestyle evaluation, clinical testing and supplement where needed, Jane’s aim is to focus on long-term lifestyle changes rather than quick fixes. Health is not a destination but a lifelong journey.