Call Us to Book (08) 6558 5161
This is Hera.
A bespoke menopause and women’s health clinic which strives to change the way all women think about their overall health, enabling them to act pre-emptively, confidently, and scientifically.
Our goals are to:
Help restore and maintain our patient’s biopsychosocial capacity enabling them to have fulfilling relationships, careers and long, healthy lives.
Advocate for women within their community and workplace to ensure equality and allowances for all stages of reproductive life particularly during the Perimenopause & Menopause.
Ensure the highest quality and delivery of compassionate care by maintaining and reviewing professional standards and keeping up to date with current evidence by ongoing education.
At Hera we prefer to consult with our patients face to face. After all, humans need real connection, particularly when it comes to the nuances involved in menopause medicine and women’s health.
We live in a vast state in Western Australia, and so for those living rurally, we understand that it may be difficult to make the journey to attend your Hera appointment in person. We are therefore able to offer video telehealth appointments for these patients if required. We are also happy to offer phone or video telehealth for all patients for follow up appointments.
Ideally, if at all possible, we encourage our patients to come in to the clinic for their appointment, so we can make a connection and get to know you better!
Dr Sunita
Chelvanayagam
MB BCH BAO LRCP
and SI (NUI) FRACGP
Dr Sunita Chelva is a Menopause Specialist and Women’s Health GP and a founder and principal of Hera Menopause & Women’s Health. She has over 16 years general practice experience and is passionate about menopause medicine as well as all aspects of women’s health.
Sunita comes from ‘a long line of strong determined women’ and is a great believer in the importance of caring for women in the wider community.
Knowing that the menopausal transition can be a time of great distress, her knowledge, expertise and lived experience mean that her patients receive high quality, tailored care throughout. Sunita believes that all women should be educated and empowered to live their best lives well beyond their reproductive years.
Sunita completed her medical training at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 2002. Initially commencing surgical training in Perth before redirecting her path to general practice, Sunita is proficient at both IUD & Implanon insertion and removal.
She holds FPA certification in Reproductive and Sexual Health and is a member of the RACGP, Australasian Menopause Society and International Menopause Society. She attends regular educational meetings and conferences keeping herself up to date with current scientific information.
Sunita enjoys giving educational talks to clinicians, workplaces, and women in the community about menopause and dispelling the myths surrounding it. She has also recorded a few podcasts on her favourite subject ; for the Newson Health Menopause Society in the UK, the Sexy Ageing Podcast in NZ and the Meditalk Podcast here in WA.
When she’s not busy consulting, Sunita enjoys spending time with her family and two dogs in the great outdoors surrounded by nature.
Qualifications and Education
2002 MB MBCh BAO LRCP and SI (NUI) Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery and Arts of Obstetrics Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
2009 FRACGP Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
2018 Certificate in Reproductive and Sexual Health FPWA
Memberships and Courses
Member of Australasian Menopause Society
Member of the International Menopause Society'
Member of the RACGP
Dr Michelle Cotellessa
MBBS and FRACGP
Dr Michelle Cotellessa is a Menopause and Women’s Health GP and founder and Principal of Hera Menopause and Women’s Health. A highly experienced doctor, she has been a general practitioner for over 25 years.
Her interest in Women’s Health was sparked whilst doing a rotation as a medical student at King Edward Memorial Hospital. She knew this was a field she enjoyed and loved. There was little to no education on menopause during her medical training, but this exposure sparked a special interest in women’s health, perimenopause, and menopause and in the prevention of chronic disease.
Once she became a general practitioner, she realised that there was a great number of women needing supportive and caring menopause management. This inspired her to continue to learn and update her skills and knowledge in this important area of medicine. Michelle is passionate about women being able to talk openly about their personal experiences and gain access to good quality evidence-based information. She always aims to provide this with care and compassion so women can take ownership of their own health and well-being. She wants women for be empowered and educated and essentially, to help women feel like themselves again. “The more women I help the more I love doing this job.“
Michelle ensures she keeps up to date with scientific information by regularly attending conferences, courses, and education both within Australia and Internationally. She is competent in Implanon insertion/removal and Mirena management and removal also.
As a wife and mum of two teenage children Michelle knows too well the challenges that women of today face. Outside of medicine, she enjoys walking, yoga, travel, and a great book when she gets the opportunity.
Qualifications and Education
1994 MBBS Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery University of Western Australia
2000 FRACGP Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
2003 Diploma of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
2003, 2018 Certificate in Reproductive and Sexual Health FPWA
Memberships and Courses
Member of Australasian Menopause Society
Member of International Menopause Society
Member of RACGP
Dr Ashleah Fleming
MBBS FRACGP BSC DipCH
Dr Ashleah Fleming is Perth born and raised, initially completing her Bachelor of Science before going on to do her medical degree at the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle.
After working at various hospitals around the state, she decided to move into the rewarding vocation of general practice, gaining her fellowship.
Highly experienced in diverse areas of medicine, Ashleah has worked in Skin Cancer Medicine and Occupational Health. More recently, she has spent a few years with her young family in the Kimberley Region of WA, working in Rural and Indigenous Health.
Ashleah is now back in Perth and eager to embark on new challenges in the women’s health arena. Ashleah thoroughly enjoys developing connections with her patients and loves ‘the conversations with amazing women!'
When Ash has some spare time, she loves spending time with her husband, children and puppy, particularly getting out and about in their camper trailer exploring our beautiful country.
Qualifications and Education
2006 Bachelor of Biomedical science
2011 Bachelor of Medicine /Bachelor of Surgery
2014 Diploma of Children’s Health Westmead Hospital
2016 Certificate in Primary Care Skin Cancer Medicine
2020 RACGP Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Memberships and Courses
Member of the Australasian Menopause Society
Member of the RACGP
Fiona Parri
Receptionist & Administrator
Born and raised in Perth, Fiona spent close to 20 years working in home loan lending helping first homebuyers fulfil their dream of owning their own home. After taking some time off to be a
stay-at-home mum, Fiona started working with an After-Hours GP Service and has now been working with GPs for 10 years.
Fiona lives locally with her husband and teenage daughter and is dreaming of a return trip to Europe!
In her spare time, Fiona loves to cook, catch up with friends and her big Italian family.
Elisa Tancredi
Receptionist & Administrator
Elisa moved to sunny Perth from gloomy Melbourne ten years ago and has been working with women’s health specialists ever since.
She lives with her furry boys Lennon and Zeppelin and in her spare time loves doing crafts, puzzles, and treasure hunting for vintage things.
She has been teaching herself Spanish and most recently completed a Certificate in Herpetology, with hopes of working with reptiles someday.
