Improved telemetry antennas and methods of fabrication for an implantable medical device (IMD) for use in uplink telemetry (UT) and downlink telemetry (DT) transmissions between the IMD and an external medical device (EMD) are disclosed. A first telemetry antenna element is supported to extend in a first direction along a minor side of the IMD housing by a first header segment, and a second antenna element is supported to extend in a second direction along a second minor side of the IMD housing by a second header segment. The first and second antenna elements are supported to extend apart at substantially 90 to one another, i.e., substantially orthogonally, in substantially a common plane to optimize UT transmission and DT reception of UHF telemetry signals by at least one of the first and second antenna elements depending upon the mutual spatial orientation with the antenna elements of an EMD antenna.