WOMEN'S HEALTH & MENOPAUSE CARE
Women's Health Concierge Doctor in Chicago, IL
Women’s health care deserves time, thoughtful conversations, and a physician who understands how your health changes throughout your life. At Encore Concierge Medicine, Dr. Julia Gold provides personalized women’s health care as part of the Adult Wellness Membership. From annual well-woman visits and preventive screenings to perimenopause, menopause, and hormone replacement therapy, your care is built around your health history, current concerns, and long-term goals.
Instead of treating every concern as a separate appointment, Dr. Gold takes the time to understand how different aspects of your health connect. Whether you are looking for a women’s health concierge doctor in Chicago for ongoing preventive care or need support navigating menopause symptoms, Encore provides a collaborative setting where you can ask questions, explore treatment options, and make informed decisions
Annual Well-Woman Care
Routine preventive visits to review your health and stay current on recommended screenings, which may include:
Pap smears: Cervical screening based on your age and history.
Breast exams: Clinical exams and guidance on breast screening.
Preventive screening: Screenings matched to your personal and family history.
Personalized annual labs: Health markers chosen for your risk factors and goals.
Related Care & Coordination
Your membership looks at the whole picture, not each concern in isolation:
Everyday concerns: Time to discuss menstrual changes, sexual health, sleep, and energy.
Specialist coordination: Help connecting with an OB-GYN, breast imaging center, or other specialist.
Mental health screening: Support for mood and well-being as part of routine care.
Weight management: Including GLP-1 medications when clinically appropriate.
Women’s health is an important part of comprehensive primary care. Through Encore’s Adult Wellness Membership, Dr. Gold helps you address preventive health needs, changes throughout adulthood, and concerns that may affect your daily well-being.
MENOPAUSE & HORMONE CARE
Perimenopause and Menopause Management
Perimenopause and menopause can affect sleep, mood, concentration, and comfort. Dr. Gold helps you understand these changes and build an individualized plan.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also called menopausal hormone therapy, may be an option for symptoms tied to changing hormone levels. Dr. Gold reviews benefits, risks, and alternatives with you.
Perimenopause and Menopause Care in Chicago
Perimenopause is the transition leading up to menopause, when hormone levels fluctuate and cycles become less predictable. Menopause is generally defined as 12 consecutive months without a period. These are normal life stages, but you don't have to ignore symptoms that affect your quality of life.
Recognizing Menopause Symptoms
Symptoms vary from person to person. Common perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms include:
Hot flashes and night sweats
Trouble falling or staying asleep
Mood changes or irritability
Changes in concentration or memory
Irregular periods
Vaginal dryness or discomfort
Urinary urgency or frequency
Changes in sexual comfort or desire
Changes in weight, energy, or well-being
Thyroid conditions, medications, sleep disorders, and other concerns can cause similar symptoms, which is why a careful evaluation matters.
Evaluating Your Symptoms and Health History
Your visit starts with your experience: symptoms, menstrual history, medications, family history, and personal priorities. Depending on your situation, Dr. Gold may recommend an exam, lab work, or additional screening. Hormone testing isn't necessary for every patient.
She also considers your long-term health during midlife, including heart and bone health, sleep, mental well-being, and weight. Treatment options may include lifestyle adjustments, nonhormonal approaches, hormone therapy when appropriate, or referral to a specialist.
HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY
Is Hormone Replacement Therapy Right for You?
Hormone therapy may be considered for women with bothersome menopausal symptoms. Because the potential benefits and risks depend on your age, time since menopause, medical history, and the type of therapy, the decision is always made together with Dr. Gold.
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Hormone therapy may be considered for women experiencing bothersome menopausal symptoms, depending on their age, time since menopause, medical history, and individual health risks. The potential benefits and risks differ based on the type of therapy, dose, route of administration, duration, and reason for treatment.
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Dr. Gold will consider factors such as a personal history of breast cancer or other hormone-sensitive cancers, blood clots, stroke, cardiovascular disease, liver conditions, and unexplained vaginal bleeding. These factors do not all carry the same implications, but they can influence whether hormone therapy is appropriate and whether specialist input is needed. For women with a uterus, systemic estrogen is generally paired with a progestogen to help protect the uterine lining. Estrogen-only systemic therapy may be appropriate for many women who have had their uterus removed, although individual circumstances still matter.
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Menopausal hormone therapy is not a single treatment. Options vary by formulation, delivery method, and the symptoms being addressed. Systemic hormone therapy may be considered for symptoms affecting the body more broadly, while low-dose vaginal estrogen may be an option for certain vaginal or urinary symptoms.
Dr. Gold can discuss the potential benefits, limitations, and risks of relevant options, taking your preferences and health history into account. She can also help determine when another treatment approach or consultation with a gynecologist or other specialist would be appropriate.
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Hormone therapy is not a universal solution for every concern associated with aging, and it should not be presented as a way to prevent all chronic diseases. The decision should reflect the symptoms you want to address, your medical circumstances, and the available evidence.
The details are important, which is why treatment decisions should be made with a qualified physician rather than based on general advice or another person's experience.
THE ENCORE DIFFERENCE
Why Choose Concierge Women's Primary Care?
Women's health concerns rarely fit neatly into one category. Dr. Gold looks at how sleep, hormones, weight, and preventive care connect.
Time for the Full Picture
Dr. Gold considers how your medical history, lifestyle, preventive needs, and goals fit together.
Direct Physician Access
Members have direct text and call access to Dr. Gold for questions and next steps between visits.
Specialist Coordination
When you need more, Dr. Gold coordinates referrals and follow-through with OB-GYNs, breast imaging, and other specialists.
Meet Dr. Julia Gold
Dr. Julia Gold is a board-certified family medicine physician and the founder of Encore Concierge Medicine in Chicago. After about nine years in traditional primary care, she created Encore to offer more time with patients, direct communication, and thoughtful coordination of care.
She trained at St. Matthew's University School of Medicine, completed her family medicine residency at Ascension Saint Mary Chicago, and holds an MBA in Healthcare Management. Dr. Gold was named a Castle Connolly Exceptional Woman in Medicine for 2026, and Encore was named among Modern Luxury Chicago's 10 Best Concierge Doctors for 2025.
Patient Experiences
Women's Health Care in River North
Whether you're due for preventive screening, navigating perimenopause, or considering hormone therapy, contact Encore Concierge Medicine for a relationship-based approach to women's primary care.
