understanding menopause
Mid-life women comprise a rapidly growing demographic in the fitness industry and no matter what your area of expertise, you will likely be caring for women in this stage of life.
Now more than ever, the medical and fitness communities are gaining knowledge and an awareness of the sometimes life-altering changes that accompany the transition from reproductive age to reproductive quiescence.
To best navigate these unique physiologic changes and their differing effects on every woman, this course delivers what you need to know to create an individualized approach to training, nutrition and wellness that will help your perimenopausal and menopausal clients thrive during this stage of life.
This is an online, self-paced course delivered by Medfit.
All materials are delivered digitally – through a variety of digital mediums, including written material, video narrated slide presentations, videos of sample exercises, sample forms, and more.
Comprehension of the material will be measured via a mandatory competency assessment requiring a minimum of 80% correct responses.
Course Author: Dr. Carla DiGirolamo
Course Length: 13 Hours
Course overview
The goal of this course is to help the learner understand the physical, emotional and psychosocial dynamics that mid-life women experience during this transition. With a solid foundation of an understanding of the mid-life experience, we can then build an understanding of the basic principles of the nutritional needs, physical training focus and mindset work that is beneficial for these women.
We then discuss how to apply these basic principles to your individual clients – whether she is sedentary or whether she just won her first triathlon. Finally, we discuss how the wellness professional can build their business leveraging their distinction of expertise in caring for mid-life female clients.
Module 1: Menopause – The Basics
- Lesson 1: Menopause Statistics
- Lesson 2: The Female Reproductive Continuum
- Lesson 3: The menopause Experience
- Lesson 4: Impact of the Menopausal Experience
- Lesson 5: Premature Menopause
Module 2: Hormone Biology – From Cells to Systems to Medical Management
- Lesson 6: Hormones & Receptors
- Lesson 7: Female Reproductive Hormone Biology
- Lesson 8: Medical Evaluation & Management of the Mid-life Woman
Module 3: Menopause Health & Physiology
- Lesson 9: Bones, Tendons & Ligaments
- Lesson 10: Skeletal Muscle Function & Role in Metabolism
- Lesson 11: Cardiovascular Health
- Lesson 12: Physiology of the Stress Response
- Lesson 13: Medical Conditions Common to the Mid-life Transition
Module 4: Fitness, Nutrition & Wellness for the Mid-life
- Lesson 14: Approach to Wellness Care for the Mid-life Woman – The 5 Pillars
- Lesson 15: Training & Physical Activity
- Lesson 16: Let’s Start Training!
- Lesson 17: Nutrition and Supplementation
- Lesson 18: Lifestyle & Wellness
Module 5: Developing a Successful Business in the Menopause Health Space
- Lesson 19: Building Your Brand
- Lesson 20: Building A Community
- Lesson 21: A Success Story
Prerequisites & renewal
The completion of this course, including the competency assessment, leads to a Certificate of Specialization. This online course delivered through Medfit Classroom is considered advanced level education, and are meant to be taken by fitness professionals who have previously acquired education and experience as a professional within the health and fitness industry.
In order to receive the Certificate of Specialization, upon completion of this course you will be asked to provide proof of the following:
- Evidence of a bachelor’s or master’s degree in fitness or health related field AND/OR possess a certification from a nationally-recognized certification, NCCA or ANSI/ISO accredited program AND
- Evidence of professional liability insurance.
*If you do not meet the requirements for a Certificate of Specialization, you can request a Certificate of Completion.
This Certificate of Specialization is valid for a period of two years. To keep the certificate current, you must complete 10 hours of continuing education, on relevant subject matter, and formally renew the certificate prior to the date of its expiration. As with many certifications and specializations in our field, professionals should anticipate some costs to continuing education and renewal of this certificate.
course author
Dr. Carla DiGirolamo is a double Board-Certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist and Reproductive Endocrinologist who specializes in the care of reproductive age and mid-life women. She is a Partner at Boston IVF in Waltham, MA where she practices as a fertility specialist and menopause health consultant.
Dr. DiGirolamo completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Brown University Medical School/Women and Infants’ Hospital and her Reproductive Endocrinology training at the Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard Medical School. She is a North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Certified Menopause Practitioner and has been featured in multiple podcasts and speakerships at various events discussing the physiology of the hormonal changes of menopause, hormone therapy and functional fitness training.
She has been in the fitness industry her entire life as an athlete and for the last decade as a fitness professional with credentials as a Crossfit Level 1 Trainer and Certified Nutrition Coach. She’s also earned advanced instructor credentials from Les Mills for their BodyCombat and BodyPump group fitness programs. She brings fitness and nutrition expertise to every patient visit taking a holistic approach to medical management.
She has been featured in Boston Magazine’s Top Doctors in the Boston area for 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.