The Key Learning Points:

1. That 75% of women experience symptoms of perimenopause and 25% of women find these symptoms debilitating 

2. The misconceptions around menopause and how to properly communicate your symptoms with your employer in order to better manage your work

3. Advice on the different approaches you can take to help manage menopause 

In this week’s podcast episode, we chat to Emma Bardwell, a nutritional therapist, writer and lifestyle coach with a specific focus on female health and wellbeing, intuitive eating and smart lifestyle. Emma has combined her nutrition knowledge with a passion for writing and raising reader awareness on issues that affect women. This week, Emma is here to help us demystify the menopause.

The menopause is a stage when periods stop, and typically affects women around the age of 51. Emma explains that the menopause is often used as an umbrella term for the symptoms that actually lead up to the menopause, called perimenopause. Perimenopause can last anything from a few months to around 10 years, so it is important for younger women to be aware of what we can potentially start to feel. Emma goes on to say that symptoms can start out slow and come on incrementally as progesterone levels are fluctuating. It’s understood that there are 34 symptoms associated with the menopause, but Emma believes there to be more like 70. Not all women experience symptoms, but 75% of women experience some and 25% of women find them debilitating. Symptoms can range from flushing, night sweats, anxiety, even tinnitus and the sensation of skin crawling. 

Emma recommends that women keep a diary of their symptoms and how they are feeling and adds that many people mistake the brain fog, anxiety and panic attacks for depression, when it can actually be hormone levels wreaking havoc instead. Emma talks about being prepared, rather than scared, as the menopause is a natural life stage and it’s a transition rather than a disease. She advises women to try to manage their symptoms by explaining to their employer how they are feeling and perhaps getting time off to see the GP or even working from home may be beneficial. Meditation and cognitive behavioural therapy can also help reduce anxiety and have a positive effect on cortisol levels. 

Emma explains that these days there are two approaches women can take to help them navigate this journey, one is hormone replace therapy (HRT), and the other would be natural remedies which can provide an alternative solution. She adds that exercise can also have a great impact on stress levels and raises the importance of getting enough sleep. Emma says that it’s about “finding the people who talk your language, because menopause is actually incredibly unique. Everybody experiences it in a really individual way so it's finding somebody who talks your language and can approach it in the way that you want to approach it”