Specialist Menopause Clinic to Open at Dr
The BVI Health Services Authority (BVIHSA) has announced the launch of a Specialist Menopause Clinic at Dr D. Orlando Smith Hospital beginning Friday, September 4, 2026. The clinic, led by Dr Neveta Sutherland-Vaccianna, will provide dedicated assessment and individualised treatment for perimenopause, menopause and related health concerns, and will operate weekly on Fridays. The launch is being presented as the first time dedicated menopause care has been brought into the hospital’s women’s health services and aims to improve local access to specialist care and reduce travel overseas for consultations.
The BVI Health Services Authority (BVIHSA) has announced the launch of a Specialist Menopause Clinic at Dr D. Orlando Smith Hospital, which will begin operating on Friday, September 4, 2026, the authority said in a press release dated August 18, 2026. BVI Platinum also reported the new clinic will bring dedicated menopause care into the hospital’s women’s health services for the first time.
BVIHSA and local media say the clinic will operate weekly on Fridays to improve access to specialist care and reduce the need for women to travel overseas for consultation. The clinic will be led by Dr Neveta Sutherland-Vaccianna, Consultant Obstetrician/Gynaecologist and Certified Menopause Specialist.
BVIHSA and BVI Platinum note she is currently the only certified menopause specialist practising in the Virgin Islands and one of a small number in the Eastern Caribbean. BVIHSA emphasised that menopause does not always begin with the familiar hot flush. Many women first notice months of poor sleep, persistent fatigue, anxiety, brain fog, weight change or a general sense of not feeling like themselves.
Others may experience low libido, vaginal dryness or painful intercourse. Those symptoms can begin during perimenopause and, for some women, can take a toll on work, relationships and everyday functioning, the authority said. The Specialist Menopause Clinic aims to provide a dedicated setting where women can have these concerns assessed and find out whether their symptoms are linked to menopause.
Care will be individualised, taking into account each woman’s symptoms, medical history, personal preferences and health risks. Treatment options offered at the clinic may include Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT/HRT) where appropriate, as well as evidence-based non-hormonal therapies and lifestyle interventions.
The service will also address related areas of health important to BVI residents, including bone health, cardiovascular and metabolic risk, and sexual health. Specialist management will be available for premature ovarian insufficiency, early menopause and surgical menopause, and for women experiencing menopause following chemotherapy, pelvic radiotherapy or treatment for gynaecological cancers, according to the BVIHSA release.
BVIHSA framed the clinic as part of an effort to change the long-held view that menopause symptoms should simply be endured as part of ageing. "For women who have been living with unexplained changes in how they feel, sleep or function from day to day, the launch of the clinic offers something important: a place to ask whether menopause may be the reason and, importantly, what can be done about it," the authority said in its statement.
Appointments at the Specialist Menopause Clinic will be available by referral or by booking through the hospital’s outpatient services. BVIHSA and local media advise women with concerns about menopausal symptoms to speak with their primary care provider or gynaecologist about referrals and booking options.
Primary source: VINO