About the Practice

Evidence-based, whole-person medical care focused on women’s hormonal health and education

About Dr. Shannon Lockhart

Professional Background

Dr. Shannon Lockhart, MD, FRCPC, IFMCP, is a specialist physician with a background in anesthesiology, certification through the Institute for Functional Medicine, and ongoing MSCP certification through The Menopause Society. Her practice integrates deep knowledge of physiology and multi-system disease with a systems-based, whole-person approach to complex, chronic conditions.

My Story

From the very beginning of my career, I was drawn to the idea of creating positive change. I started in business school, fascinated by bringing ideas to life in the external world. Later, I studied Eastern World Religions, drawn to their focus on transforming the inner world. Eventually, I found my way to medicine, inspired by the possibility of helping people change their health and create a life in which they can truly thrive.

In medical school, I was captivated by health optimization, but quickly realized that the curriculum placed little emphasis on prevention or longevity. Instead, I followed what drew me in the most: physiology, pharmacology, and the whole-body systems thinking that anesthesiology demands.

My years in anesthesia have been deeply rewarding. That work gave me a strong foundation in anatomy, physiology, and multi-system disease, and taught me how to care for patients during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. It also sharpened my ability to distinguish between truly acute illness and the chronic patterns that so often underlie it.

Mid-career, I reached a tipping point that I now understand is incredibly common for women in mid-life. I was burnt out, overextended, barely keeping my head above water, and feeling like I was falling short in every role: mother, partner, physician, friend. Becoming a parent forced me to learn how to say no. Having a tiny, innocent human who needed my presence, physically, cognitively, emotionally, required me to protect myself from over-giving elsewhere. And honestly, learning to say no changed my entire life. It didn’t happen overnight, but reframing “no” as a learned strength rather than a personal failing created the space I needed to look at where and how I could spend my time both effectively and enjoyably.

Around the same time, I started experiencing new symptoms: sleep disruption with 3 a.m. awakenings, and new urinary frequency that made being stuck in an operating room a painful experience. I kept being told this was “probably anxiety,” despite not feeling anxious. Perimenopause was not on my radar at age 40. If I, with my medical training, resources, and specialist network, couldn’t easily connect these dots, what were other women going through?

My search for answers led me to deeper study. Through the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), I found the systems-based depth I’d been craving and eventually completed certification. During that time, I also realized how many of my colleagues, friends, and family members were quietly struggling through their own hormonal transitions, often without access to clinicians who truly focus on this area. That awareness amplified my drive to devote my work to women’s hormonal health. I am currently pursuing credentialing through The Menopause Society (2026).

This work brings me full circle: to my earliest desire to help people optimize their health and vitality. It also allows me to work in the space of advocacy: advocating for women’s agency within our medical system and for improved access and funding for women’s health. These goals have reignited something in me. The path has been winding, but every step has added depth: the rigor of anesthesiology, the privilege of supporting patients in vulnerable times, and now, a broader lens of systems-based, whole-person care.

My practice exists to help women navigating hormonal transitions, and often life transitions as well; to better understand their health, reclaim their lives, and move toward thriving.

Credentials

Dr. Lockhart is an IFM Certified Practitioner (IFMCP) and maintains certification with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Anesthesiology. In process certification through The Menopause Society.

About the Clinic

Grounded in evidence-based medicine and driven by education, this clinic provides whole-person care for women navigating hormonal and metabolic transitions.


The approach goes beyond symptom management to explore the biological, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors that shape hormonal health and overall wellbeing. The goal is to empower women with knowledge and personalized strategies to transform their health, helping them understand the “why” behind their symptoms and make confident, informed choices.
Care is designed to complement the work of family physicians and specialists, ensuring a collaborative, education-driven model that supports both patients and their broader care teams.

Approach to Care

  • Evidence-Based & Education-Driven
    Care integrates the latest scientific research with a strong focus on patient education, ensuring every recommendation is grounded in evidence and delivered with context and clarity.

  • Time for Depth
    Longer consultations create space for thoughtful assessment, meaningful discussion, and individualized planning.

  • Whole-Person Focus
    Attention is given to hormonal, metabolic, and lifestyle influences — including sleep, stress, nutrition, and environmental factors.

  • Neurodiversity-Informed
    The clinic recognizes and supports the unique needs of neurodivergent women, ensuring care is accessible, respectful, and tailored to individual strengths and sensitivities.

  • Accessibility & Equity
    High-quality education and care should not depend on ability to pay. This practice limits private-pay services as much as possible and integrates MSP-covered group sessions to make evidence-based hormonal health education accessible to more women across British Columbia.

  • Collaborative Model
    This is a consultative practice that complements primary care. Shared documentation and communication ensure coordination and continuity across the patient’s healthcare team.

  • Trauma-Aware & Compassion-Focused
    Many women navigating perimenopause and related health changes have experienced medical invalidation or dismissal. While this clinic does not formally operate as trauma-informed care, it recognizes the emotional impact of those experiences and strives to create a validating, respectful environment. Dr. Lockhart is actively deepening her training in trauma-informed approaches to ensure care remains sensitive, empowering, and grounded in safety and trust.

Areas of Focus

The clinic provides private consultations and MSP-covered group medical visits focused on women’s hormonal and metabolic health, including:

  • Perimenopause and Menopause Transition – vasomotor symptoms, sleep disturbance, mood, and cognitive changes.

  • Hormonal Mood and Sleep Disturbance – supporting emotional regulation, resilience, and restorative rest.

  • Metabolic and Weight Changes – addressing insulin resistance, midlife weight gain, and body composition shifts.

  • Cycle-Related and Reproductive Concerns – PMS/PMDD, irregular cycles, hormonal migraine.

  • Stress, Fatigue, and Burnout – identifying nervous system dysregulation and restoring adaptive balance.

(Additional focus areas include thyroid-adjacent symptoms, chronic pain overlap, and neurodiversity-informed lifestyle strategies.)

Practice Philosophy

Every woman’s health story is unique. Two people may share the same diagnosis yet arrive there through entirely different pathways, shaped by hormones, metabolism, stress, neurodiversity, environment, and lived experience.

This clinic is built on the belief that understanding both the physiology and the story behind each symptom leads to more effective, sustainable care. By combining evidence-based medicine with education, women gain the clarity, confidence, and agency to take control of their health.

Accessibility is a core value. Care is designed to reach as many women as possible through a blended model, combining private consultations for individualized assessment with MSP-covered group education sessions that make high-quality hormonal health information available to all.