PrEP at Eleanor Clinic

PREP AT ELEANOR CLINIC and where to get PrEP during supply shortage

PreP treatment or Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis to HIV is available from our doctors at Eleanor Clinic. The treatment is designed to prevent HIV infection for people at increased risk.

When taken daily, it is a highly effective way of preventing HIV. It’s available on PBS with a prescription.

Like all medications monitoring of potential side effects is important. In some people, PrEP can negatively impact kidney function or bone density. When we prescribe PrEP we regularly monitor for these side effects.

Quite a few people can experience headache and nausea after first starting PrEP. In our experience these usually fade away within two weeks.

Part of your consultation with us includes a full STD check on the same day. We have Pathology on site in the morning at Eleanor Clinic and on Saturdays. You will receive your PrEP prescription and we’ll identify which pharmacy close to you has PrEP available. Alternatively, any pharmacy can order it in for you. There is currently a PrEP shortage in Australia. You can conveniently order PrEP online.

Regular three monthly sexual health checks are part of being on PrEP. We usually get the results back in a few days. We encourage you to subscribe to our secure and free SMS notifications. This service is completely free for you to use – we’re happy to bear the costs. This system gives you significant freedom from having to actively chase your results yourself. We will send you a privacy conscious message that your results are normal. That’s it. No mention of which tests you had. Should you require treatment for an STD we won’t send you a message at all but rather give you a personal call. We are usually able to book you in for the same day and can then discuss and initiate the right treatment.

Our nurses are happy to check that all your vaccinations are up to date. Recommended vaccinations include Hep A, Hep B, meningococcal and HPV vaccinations and M POX vaccination.

We’d encourage you to read more on relevant vaccinations.

More information on what PreP is about at http://prepdforchange.com

How to take PrEP and on demand dosing. https://www.pan.org.au/how-to

Check out our new video

A few months ago, Eleanor Clinic was lucky enough to collaborate with Jorge from Artificial Studios through the Maribyrnong City Council Business Elevate Program. Jorge worked with us to create our very own clinic video.

If you’ve been thinking about coming to Eleanor Clinic as a new patient and would like a bit more information about the clinic, this video will give you a good introduction to what what we’re about.

Featuring Dr Antje Theilhaber, Dr Corinne Glenn, nurse Amy, and office manager Georgi (along with some friends and family as our patient patients), we hope you enjoy meeting us and learning about who we are, what we do, and how much passion we have for the health and wellbeing of our community.

So click play, and come on through!

Need some help lifting your Menopause symptoms?

By Dr Corinne Glenn

Perimenopause and menopause can be a difficult journey for some women and those assigned female at birth.

Symptoms can come on usually in our early to mid forties and into our mid fifties, a time when we are really busy with other things. We may be managing children, working in senior positions in our career or juggling elderly parents (or a combination of all these things). Symptoms include:

• menstrual irregularity (then cessation)
• hot flushes and night sweats
• mood changes, often described by patients as “complete rage that comes from nowhere”
• fatigue
• poor sleep
• loss of libido
• genital dryness
• itchy dry skin
• brain fog
• loss of lean muscle mass
• decreases in bone density

If these symptoms are troubling you, consider booking in for a menopause assessment. There we can discuss potential other causes of the symptoms that need excluding such as thyroid issues, discuss important lifestyle factors such as adequate protein intake and strength building exercise. We can also discuss Menopause Hormone Therapy Menopause hormone therapy is shown to be safe for most women (those with a personal history of breast cancer are an exception) particularly when taken via the skin as gels or patches. For those who cannot take hormone therapy, there are other options for symptoms that can be offered.

While all doctors at Eleanor Clinic have knowledge and expertise in menopause, Dr Corinne Glenn has a special interest in menopause medicine. She is a member of the Australasian Menopause Society, and attends their national conferences each year as well as undertaking other educational activities in this area. Dr Corinne loves seeing improvements in how women feel once on the best menopause management for them. Dr Corinne is happy to see patients for either ongoing general practice care, or for menopause management only with patients seeing their usual GP for all other issues. Dr Corinne is an experienced IUD inserter, so if Mirena is the best option in menopause management, she can arrange insertion here at Eleanor Clinic.

Images © @caitlinmcc_images