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My Menopause Journey

Navigating the Hormonal Shift


It’s Menopause Awareness Month, and I feel it’s the perfect time to share my own journey through this significant hormonal transition.


Looking back, I believe I was perimenopausal in my late thirties. After coming off the pill in my early 30s, I began experiencing low mood and depression. Like many women, I was misdiagnosed and put on antidepressants. To be fair, they did help, especially when combined with talking therapy. But the reality is, I wasn’t addressing the root cause of my symptoms.


I’ve always been active and fascinated by how our bodies work. With a background in biochemistry and a career start in women’s health research, hormones intrigued me. Still, even with all this knowledge, I wasn’t prepared for what came next.


In my early 40s, symptoms like brain fog, palpitations, hot flushes, and major irritability became my new normal. My periods remained regular, so I wasn’t sure if it was perimenopause at first. When I saw a locum GP, she handed me loads of leaflets and told me to come back when I’d made a decision on what to do.


The information was overwhelming. Even with my background, I didn’t know where to start—so I did nothing.


My last period was aged 45, so I’ve been officially postmenopausal for over 12 years. What struck me the most was the grief. I had never really thought about having children, but the moment someone told me I couldn’t, it hit hard. I felt like I was less of a woman. No one ever mentioned grief as part of this process.


I went back to my GP and was prescribed Prempak C (a combination of oral estrogen and progesterone). Eight weeks later, I developed an inflammatory eye condition that caused periods of impaired vision. Steroids cleared it up, but I came off HRT. To be clear, there’s no known link between HRT and the condition, but I suspect the reduction in oestrogen's anti-inflammatory effects played a role.


Nutrigenomic testing later revealed that I have certain genetic inflammatory markers, which now helps me understand how to tailor my lifestyle and diet to support my inflammatory pathways.


During this time, I couldn’t exercise—my usual outlet for stress. The inactivity led to a herniated disc and a year of extremely painful sciatica. I couldn't walk for more than 5 minutes without needing to sit down. Thankfully, an excellent physiotherapist (shout out to Alex at ANA Therapies!) and spinal injections sorted it out, but for a while, I felt like I was 90 and that I was disappearing. I needed help.


I found a fantastic personal trainer who got me back on track physically. I also dived into research about menopause and HRT, attending Meg Matthews’ first menopause conference. There, I connected with other women and experts in hormones, physiology, nutrition, and psychology. It was a revelation. I wasn’t alone, and what I was experiencing was normal.


That’s when the anger hit—why was this information so hard to find? Why did I have to dig so deep for answers? Why were hot flushes at work considered funny?


I returned to my GP and switched to combined oestrogen and progesterone patches, which helped with the hot flushes and palpitations, allowing me to take on a major promotion at work. But brain fog, mood swings, and poor sleep remained.


I started raising awareness at work, organising informal chats and even co-creating a Google community for colleagues. This desire to learn and help others led me to take redundancy and pursue a postgraduate degree in Personalised Nutrition, eventually becoming a registered Nutritional Therapist.


Now, I understand how my health history, genetics, and lifestyle impact my well-being. I’ve done various functional and DNA tests on myself, giving me more targeted information to guide my choices.


In the early stages of my studies, I sought help from Newson Health. I knew I couldn’t manage academic life with the brain fog and anxiety I was experiencing. After a 50 minute consultation with an expert menopause GP, I was prescribed higher doses of oestrogen (via patches), natural progesterone tablets, and testosterone cream. This combination was a game-changer—especially for brain fog, mood, anxiety and libido!


Regular blood tests showed that I wasn’t absorbing the oestrogen through my skin effectively, so I’m now on a higher-than-licensed dose to protect my bones.


 

To be clear, I’m pro-choice when it comes to HRT. I’ve done my research and know my body, which allowed me to make informed decisions. I’ve also adjusted my diet and lifestyle to support my hormones naturally.


This journey has been life-changing. I now sleep well, my mind is clear, my mood is steady, and I feel like a new version of myself.


My message is simple: advocate for your own health. Equip yourself with fact-based information so you can make the best choices for your body and your life.


Menopause is often referred to as the “third age” for women, and for good reason. We may live over 30 years in menopause. I feel like a different woman than I was in my 20s and 30s—and that’s okay. In fact, it’s empowering.









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