A new clinic specializing in menopause has opened at Maimonides Medical Center, marking the first hospital-affiliated hub for midlife care for women in Brooklyn.
Situated at 4813 9th Ave., the Menopause Center in Borough Park offers care from providers specialized in menopause, along with a range of medical professionals from other departments, including behavioral clinicians and pelvic-floor experts. It was established to fill a critical gap in women’s health services in the borough, hospital officials said.
“We have providers who are certified by the Menopause Society and have specialized training in menopause care,” said Sarah Zuercher, a certified nurse practitioner and director of Clinical Programs at Maimonides OBGYN/Women's Health. “We’re also co-located with specialists such as urogynecologists and gynecologists who focus on conditions like abnormal bleeding, endometriosis and fibroids."
The initiative, led by Zuercher and Dr. Scott Chudnoff, chair of the Obstetrics & Gynecology department, aims to highlight an area of healthcare that has traditionally been overlooked.
“While 80% of women aged 40 to 60 experience menopause symptoms, only one in five ever receives a diagnosis. That means millions of women suffer in silence,” said Dr. Chudnoff.
Zuercher believes the lack of diagnosis and adequate treatment is due to the absence of centralized resources.
“Many of my patients describe the obstacles they face in accessing menopause care elsewhere: everything from providers who refuse to discuss hormone therapy to those who feel they lack the expertise to properly address their symptoms,” she said.
Victoria Pfenninghaus, one of the first patients at the center, sought treatment after receiving limited and dismissive feedback from her primary care provider.
“I knew that I was on the precipice of a major hormonal shift," she said. "But beyond anecdotal warnings and unfavorable pop-cultural references, I really didn't know what to expect or how to prepare for it. And asking my traditional healthcare provider failed to yield answers or, frankly, much interest.”
The clinic seeks to address the hurdles that patients such as Pfenninghaus face through a system that allows access to interdisciplinary care and referrals in one location.
“We wanted to create a place where midlife women could easily meet all of their healthcare needs, with providers who are collaborating with each other,” Zuercher said.
To raise awareness of menopause symptoms and the treatment available, the new center plans to host educational events with partnered organizations.
One of the organizations already supporting the center is Let’s Talk Menopause!, a national nonprofit co-founded by Donna Klassen, LCSW. Klassen said she felt her medical needs were ignored when she suddenly entered menopause after undergoing a double mastectomy and double oophorectomy after a breast cancer diagnosis.
Frustrated by the lack of resources, she created the advocacy group for holistic management. “We believe that menopause care is essential healthcare, and we're so glad that our friends here at Maimonides believe the same thing,” Klassen added.
BK Reader celebrates and elevates initiatives directed towards the betterment of women during Women's History Month this March.
