“After 30 years in the corporate world, I changed careers and trained as a menopause coach”

Many good things are born from adversity. After 30 years in the corporate world, I decided to make a change.

I woke up one day in June 2008. I was 38 and felt emotionally paralysed, scared and unable to drive my son to school – a trip I had done daily for 15 years. I did it regardless, but I had no idea how. Suffering with anxiety, palpitations and gynae issues, I turned to my GP for help and I was diagnosed with burnout.

This made complete sense at the time, as I had experienced an incredibly challenging few months with work and personal issues. I was referred to various cardio and gynae consultants yet no one mentioned perimenopause or menopause. I now know that’s what it was, albeit lower than the average UK perimenopause age.

Several years passed but I still wasn’t firing on all cylinders. During yet another GP appointment I mentioned menopause but I was informed I was too young at 43. Cue another five years feeling meh. Not one GP – male or female – ever mentioned perimenopause or menopause during my numerous appointments.

After visiting Dr Google yet again, I returned to the GP to request HRT. I walked out with the prescription thinking ‘how do I know this one is right for me?’

I never picked up that prescription and began to do my own research. In the meantime, I was prescribed another HRT but again, confusion reigned. Dr Google can be your friend as well as your enemy.

In 2018,  I conducted mammoth research, I joined menopause support groups, I contacted various ‘specialists’ and in 2019 I saw yet another GP where I requested body-identical HRT.

The GP had zero knowledge of this HRT, even though it was quite widely used at this stage, hence me having to spell it. He prescribed the wrong amount, but due to my extensive research I identified this and informed the practice.

I could write a book on these all too common experiences which so many women have encountered, and continue to encounter, from being prescribed antidepressants to being completely misinformed.

Astonishingly, GPs do not receive mandatory menopause training, hence their lack of HRT/menopause knowledge. Fortunately, the tide is slowly turning with some GPs are now undertaking independent menopause training.

I became more knowledgable than any GP I had ever seen. At networking events, women in the business world were turning to me for advice as they were scared of losing their career. So, I researched further and began my training to become a menopause coach as well as signing up for a functional health course. With a new focus and drive, I said farewell to the PR world I had known for 13 years.

I founded Menopause Mentor to provide evidence-based, factual training and help employers and individuals navigate the menopause journey. Menopause Table Talks are workplace menopause awareness training workshops to enable businesses to support their employees, to prevent tribunals and a host of other benefits.

I also provide one-to one menopause coaching for individuals requiring personal support on nutrition, stress reduction, supplements and overall menopause understanding to enable individuals to take back control.

Figures show that women over 50 are the fastest growing section of the UK workforce. However, the average age for menopause in the UK is 51, with nine out of ten women stating their menopausal symptoms impact their work, including fatigue, brain fog, anxiety and loss of confidence.

One in four say they do not feel supported in the workplace while a third hide their symptoms, fearing for their jobs. Nearly one million women have had to give up work due to menopause and often individuals feel helpless.

There’s so much misinformation out there, leaving many women feeling quite lost at this stage of their lives whilst workplaces face the threat of losing experienced employees. It’s time for a change.

For more info, visit menopausementor.uk.