virtual peri-/menopause registry of australia

Conditions: Menopause; Perimenopausal Disorder; Postmenopausal Symptoms; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Healthy Aging; Health Care Utilization; Health Care Seeking Behavior; Mental Health Impairment; Mental Deterioration; Mental Health Issue; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal; Diabetes Mellitus Risk; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Dementia; Cardiovascular Diseases; Menopause Related Conditions; Hot Flashes; Hot Flushes Aggravated; Economic Burden; Social Stigma

Summary: 13 million (50.7%) australians are born with ovaries, 14% (\~3 million) are currently aged 40-59 yrs, \& all such who live to midlife will experience menopause, defined as \>12 months without a period. peri-menopause (peri), typically occurs 5 yrs before menopause as hormone levels decrease. as with oestrogen, peri symptoms can affect every bodily system; e.g. depression/anxiety, diminished mental function, irregular periods, hot flushes, sleep problems, vaginal atrophy \& urinary urgency. these symptoms are linked with lower quality of life \& significantly higher work impairment; a third experiencing symptoms so severe as to impede daily life \& increase risk of suicide. lifetime increased risks of diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis \& dementia are also associated with menopause, yet it remains disconcertingly poorly studied. the investigators propose to create a world-first, cutting-edge, consumer-driven, virtual peri-/menopause registry of australia (vital). the unique design will enable consumers to determine vital's questions, encourage secure revelation of private data e.g. vaginal \& mental health symptoms, \& to direct priorities for research, education, \& health service improvements. vital will thus deliver optimal assessments of incidence, prevalence \& impact. the participating consumers, researchers, clinical specialists, policy makers, \& modern virtual data infrastructure enable this unique \& innovative registry design, future translation to improved community health, \& promote awareness \& collaborative synergies. leveraging the investigators' critical range of expertise \& ongoing feedback opportunities for both participants \& stakeholder partnerships, the investigators will create a ground-breaking platform that: * empowers the consumer voice and priorities, * enables peri-/menopause research to extend beyond existing niche focuses, * evidences the true impact of peri-/menopause across the nation, * evolves healthcare services and outcomes, \& * educates community, clinicians, \& policy-makers. after australian registry establishment, the investigators will expand vital to mirror it in other nations while still protecting individual's data the right way, but so all can learn \& apply the best aspects of care from across the world.

in the virtual peri-menopause registry of australia -vital- the investigators will: 1. co-create an innovative, multidisciplinary, ongoing digital epidemiological platform \& repository of australian peri-/menopausal health, centred on relevance to the community; 2. establish incidence, prevalence \& impact of australian peri-/menopause symptomology, associated disease risk factors, \& healthcare system pathways, via secure participant input, encouraging safe revelation of personal data, e.g. symptoms, impairment, substandard care; 3. determine \& define community consensus priorities in related healthcare \& associated policy. 4. disseminate not only results, but ensure accessibility of the data from the national registry to authorised, relevant \& ethical investigations to streamline research \& in turn, translate to community healthcare outcomes, e.g. community education, clinical advice, policies, data linkage with significant datasets and/or registries e.g. cardiac, cancer, ageing, medicare etc.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * any australian over 18 years of age. exclusion criteria: * none.