Menopause - The Real Deal

You know what you need to do to feel better. You've done it before. You've spent years looking after your health, building good habits and finding what works for you.

So why, all of a sudden, can't you find the motivation to do any of it?

And what happens when it's not just your healthy habits that disappear, but your enthusiasm for life, your sense of purpose and even the desire to spend time with people you love?

My guest is Maja, a women's coach whose journey into health and wellbeing began following an endometriosis diagnosis in her late 20s.

After years of exploring nutrition, lifestyle and emotional wellbeing, she believed she'd discovered what it took to live a happy and healthy life. But entering her 40s challenged everything she thought she knew, including her understanding of herself.

What followed was an experience that made her question not only the changes happening within her, but also the expectations women live with and the way society responds when they struggle.

And perhaps the biggest question is whether midlife really is a crisis to overcome, or an opportunity to discover something about ourselves that we've spent years overlooking.

• How her endometriosis diagnosis led her to explore the relationship between physical health, emotional wellbeing and lifestyle, and what she discovered through her own experiences.
• Why the discipline and healthy habits she'd relied on for years became so difficult to maintain during perimenopause, despite knowing what had previously helped her.
• What it felt like to lose her sense of identity and purpose, and the impact of having her struggles mistaken for laziness or ingratitude by those around her.
• Why trying to get back to the woman you used to be can hold you back, and how questioning the expectations you've lived by can open up new possibilities.
• How coaching, creating space to pause and learning to recognise her own needs helped her begin finding clarity and reconnecting with herself.

“I had no idea what I wanted anymore, where I was heading, what was my purpose, what was I doing in life?”

“I was not lazy, I was not feeling well.”

“What are these hormonal changes doing to me? And who am I becoming?”

“A woman is powerful enough on her own. She just needs space, support, and to be heard.”

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/withmaja.coach/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61585201744718

Website: https://withmaja.coach/

Want practical, evidence-informed support with menopause? Visit Panacea Pause to explore Michelle’s resources, services and ways to work with her.

Michelle Rowlinson is the founder of Panacea Pause, a Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, Menopause and Wellbeing Practitioner, best-selling author, and host of the Menopause - The Real Deal podcast.

After spending seven years searching for answers to debilitating symptoms that were eventually recognised as perimenopause, Michelle made it her mission to help other women understand what is happening to their bodies and navigate menopause with confidence.

Today, she delivers evidence-based education for women, workplaces and healthcare professionals through her CPD-accredited training, workshops and public speaking. Combining over two decades of clinical experience with her own lived experience, Michelle is passionate about translating complex science into practical, honest conversations that help women make informed decisions about their health.

Through her podcast, Michelle explores the latest evidence, challenges outdated misconceptions, and asks the questions that many women, and increasingly healthcare professionals, are asking about menopause today.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.rowlinson.official/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal

My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag

Website: www.panaceapause.co.uk

Just because someone runs a menopause support group, has thousands of followers or even has a medical qualification, does that mean the advice they're sharing is accurate?

There's more information about perimenopause and menopause available than ever before. Yet some of the advice being shared online is not only misleading, but completely inaccurate. And when women rely on that information to make decisions about their health, the consequences can be significant.

From AI-generated posts containing incorrect information to misleading HRT advice being shared, how do you know who or what to believe?

In this solo episode of Menopause – The Real Deal, I share some of the misinformation I've come across recently, including advice that could leave women misunderstanding their symptoms or believing certain treatments aren't suitable for them.

But it's not just about challenging misinformation. I also share practical advice on HRT, supplements, nutrition, exercise, sleep and lifestyle changes to help you better understand your options and make informed decisions about your health.

• Why AI-generated menopause advice can sound convincing even when the information is wrong.
• How misinformation about menopause symptoms and the differences between oral and transdermal HRT could influence women's treatment decisions.
• What you should know before spending money on menopause supplements and herbal remedies.
• Practical ways to support your health and recognise whether the menopause advice you're being given is credible.

"I'm constantly arguing with ChatGPT. And I mean constantly."

"Nobody can diagnose somebody properly from a few lines in a Facebook post."

"Just because a product contains 20 different ingredients doesn't mean it's 20 times more effective."

"You deserve to understand that reason. And you deserve to be involved in decisions about your own health."

Want practical, evidence-informed support with menopause? Visit Panacea Pause to explore Michelle’s resources, services and ways to work with her.

Michelle Rowlinson is the founder of Panacea Pause, a Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, Menopause and Wellbeing Practitioner, best-selling author, and host of the Menopause - The Real Deal podcast.

After spending seven years searching for answers to debilitating symptoms that were eventually recognised as perimenopause, Michelle made it her mission to help other women understand what is happening to their bodies and navigate menopause with confidence.

Today, she delivers evidence-based education for women, workplaces and healthcare professionals through her CPD-accredited training, workshops and public speaking. Combining over two decades of clinical experience with her own lived experience, Michelle is passionate about translating complex science into practical, honest conversations that help women make informed decisions about their health.

Through her podcast, Michelle explores the latest evidence, challenges outdated misconceptions, and asks the questions that many women, and increasingly healthcare professionals, are asking about menopause today.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.rowlinson.official/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal

My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag

Website: www.panaceapause.co.uk

What if the symptoms making you feel as though your body is falling apart are connected, but nobody is joining the dots?

Joint pain, exhaustion, insomnia and anxiety can send you down completely different medical pathways, with perimenopause never even being considered. Particularly when you're still in your early 40s and haven't yet noticed any changes to your menstrual cycle.

And if even experienced healthcare professionals can struggle to recognise the symptoms in themselves, what does that mean for women relying on them for answers?

In this episode of Menopause – The Real Deal, I'm joined by Caroline Milne, former practice nurse, menopause coach and founder of Unmenopaused, who shares how her own experience of perimenopause exposed some surprising gaps in her nursing education and the healthcare system she'd worked in for over 20 years.

We explore why recognising perimenopause involves looking beyond individual symptoms, the challenges women face when seeking appropriate HRT treatment, and why understanding what's happening to your body can change how you approach your health, both now and in the years ahead.

• Why she questioned her fibromyalgia diagnosis and what eventually led her to consider perimenopause.

• The surprising gaps in menopause education during her 20-year nursing career, despite working extensively in women's health.

• How a traumatic breast cancer misdiagnosis changed the direction of her life and her relationship with HRT.

• Why being prescribed HRT was the easy part, but getting the treatment adjusted became a very different story.

• How her approach to exercise and ageing has changed, and why she's now thinking about what she wants her body to be capable of in 20 years.

"I remember feeling really, really negative about myself, my body and that my body was failing and falling apart."

"It was definitely helping me so much before. I noticed the difference really, really quickly when I stopped taking HRT. And I decided that that wasn't the way I wanted to live my life."

"It doesn't scare me anymore. I think that's the biggest thing. I'm more in tune with my body. I'm more observant."

"We need to get rid of the mindset that because menopause is natural, it doesn't need to be supported."

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555972582505

Website: https://www.unmenopaused.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unmenopaused/

Want practical, evidence-informed support with menopause? Visit Panacea Pause to explore Michelle’s resources, services and ways to work with her.

Michelle Rowlinson is the founder of Panacea Pause, a Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, Menopause and Wellbeing Practitioner, best-selling author, and host of the Menopause - The Real Deal podcast.

After spending seven years searching for answers to debilitating symptoms that were eventually recognised as perimenopause, Michelle made it her mission to help other women understand what is happening to their bodies and navigate menopause with confidence.

Today, she delivers evidence-based education for women, workplaces and healthcare professionals through her CPD-accredited training, workshops and public speaking. Combining over two decades of clinical experience with her own lived experience, Michelle is passionate about translating complex science into practical, honest conversations that help women make informed decisions about their health.

Through her podcast, Michelle explores the latest evidence, challenges outdated misconceptions, and asks the questions that many women, and increasingly healthcare professionals, are asking about menopause today.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.rowlinson.official/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal

My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag

Website: www.panaceapause.co.uk

How much are women really told about what happens to their bodies when menopause is brought on by medication or surgery?

For some women, treatment for conditions such as endometriosis can mean facing menopause decades earlier than expected. And while the focus is often on relieving debilitating symptoms, what about the physical, emotional and long-term health implications of that treatment?

What happens when you're left dealing with changes you don't understand, symptoms you feel too embarrassed to discuss, or struggling to get help because you're considered too young to be menopausal?

In this episode of Menopause - The Real Deal, I'm joined by Lucy Blackmer, accredited menopause coach and founder of The Menopause Mum, who shares her experiences of chemical and surgical menopause and challenges some of the assumptions about what women should expect.

• How the experience of chemical menopause can differ, even when you've been through it before.
• The frightening changes in her mental health after starting a particular hormonal treatment.
• What her unexpected pregnancy revealed about fertility following chemical menopause.
• The distressing changes to her vaginal and vulval health that developed despite taking HRT.
• Why her experience of returning to work highlights the need for more inclusive menopause support.

"No one prepared me for it. The chemical menopauses didn't prepare me for it. It is so vastly different. I don't think I can put into words how different it is."

"I was like, there's something wrong with me and I have to accept this new normal."

"And those options should be talked about before you even have the surgery."

"I was told by the menopause support groups locally to me that I was too young or I wasn't the right fit."

Website: https://themenopausemum.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themenopausemum

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61588162426735

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@themenopausemum

Want practical, evidence-informed support with menopause? Visit Panacea Pause to explore Michelle’s resources, services and ways to work with her.

Michelle Rowlinson is the founder of Panacea Pause, a Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, Menopause and Wellbeing Practitioner, best-selling author, and host of the Menopause - The Real Deal podcast.

After spending seven years searching for answers to debilitating symptoms that were eventually recognised as perimenopause, Michelle made it her mission to help other women understand what is happening to their bodies and navigate menopause with confidence.

Today, she delivers evidence-based education for women, workplaces and healthcare professionals through her CPD-accredited training, workshops and public speaking. Combining over two decades of clinical experience with her own lived experience, Michelle is passionate about translating complex science into practical, honest conversations that help women make informed decisions about their health.

Through her podcast, Michelle explores the latest evidence, challenges outdated misconceptions, and asks the questions that many women, and increasingly healthcare professionals, are asking about menopause today.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.rowlinson.official/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal

My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag

Website: www.panaceapause.co.uk

You've finally worked up the courage to speak to your GP about the symptoms that have been turning your life upside down. But instead of answers, you're told your blood tests are normal, you're too young for menopause, or perhaps you just need antidepressants.

Meanwhile, another woman with similar symptoms has been offered HRT without any difficulty.

How can the care women receive still vary so dramatically, and what does it actually take to get the right treatment?

My guest is Dr Rebeccah Tomlinson, a GP, British Menopause Society-accredited Menopause Specialist and Trainer, who leads a weekly menopause clinic within her local hospital.

With experience on both sides of menopause care, from busy GP surgeries to specialist clinics and training other healthcare professionals, Rebeccah brings an important perspective to a conversation that is often dominated by frustration, conflicting advice and unanswered questions.

And with World Menopause Day approaching, it's an opportunity to look beyond awareness alone and ask whether the healthcare system is actually equipped to give women the individualised care they need.

From the realities of prescribing HRT to the difficult decisions clinicians face when guidelines don't neatly fit a woman's circumstances, this conversation explores why getting the right menopause care isn't always as straightforward as it should be.

• Why women can spend years seeking help for seemingly unrelated symptoms before anyone considers perimenopause, and what's contributing to this gap in recognition.
• Where current menopause guidance leaves unanswered questions about progesterone and testosterone, and why some women are offered treatments that others struggle to access.
• What off-label prescribing really means, why it can make some clinicians hesitant, and whether women should be concerned about medications being prescribed outside their licence.
• Why normal hormone blood tests don't necessarily rule out perimenopause, when testing can be useful, and how results can sometimes lead women down the wrong path.
• What women may not realise about moving from private menopause treatment back to NHS care, and why having an existing prescription doesn't necessarily mean their GP can continue it.

“You can understand why women feel like they are hypochondriacs, because perimenopause is such a chaotic time.”

“I know sometimes you will sit down with your list and you will see the GP's eyes roll into the back of their head, but I love a list.”

“We need less of that postcode lottery to who you get and less of this, well, I'm not confident in HRT, so here have an antidepressant.”

“Some people might need more. Some people might need less. It's like personal shopping, isn't it? Finding something that suits you.”

Website: https://empoweralltraining.co.uk/

Corporate Training: https://empoweralltraining.co.uk/corporate-training/

Clinician Training: https://empoweralltraining.co.uk/clinician-training/

Patient Advice and Guidance Clinics: https://empoweralltraining.co.uk/patient-clinics/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@empoweralltraining?_r=1&_t=ZN-99YrEVpfJaB

Want practical, evidence-informed support with menopause? Visit Panacea Pause to explore Michelle’s resources, services and ways to work with her.

Michelle Rowlinson is the founder of Panacea Pause, a Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, Menopause and Wellbeing Practitioner, best-selling author, and host of the Menopause - The Real Deal podcast.

After spending seven years searching for answers to debilitating symptoms that were eventually recognised as perimenopause, Michelle made it her mission to help other women understand what is happening to their bodies and navigate menopause with confidence.

Today, she delivers evidence-based education for women, workplaces and healthcare professionals through her CPD-accredited training, workshops and public speaking. Combining over two decades of clinical experience with her own lived experience, Michelle is passionate about translating complex science into practical, honest conversations that help women make informed decisions about their health.

Through her podcast, Michelle explores the latest evidence, challenges outdated misconceptions, and asks the questions that many women, and increasingly healthcare professionals, are asking about menopause today.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.rowlinson.official/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal

My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag

Website: www.panaceapause.co.uk

“I used to be able to cope with all of this. Why can't I anymore?”

It's a question many women find themselves asking in midlife. Work that once felt manageable becomes overwhelming. Confidence changes. Memory and concentration can become frightening. Relationships can come under strain, and suddenly you can find yourself questioning the career and life you've spent years building.

My guest is Paula Bradbrook, who has more than 25 years of corporate leadership experience and now works across midlife health, career longevity, workplace capability and women's health advocacy. Paula is Director of Midlife Advantage and Your Menopause Doula, co-founder of Her Health Hero, and works with BleedBetter to improve awareness and clinical pathways around heavy menstrual bleeding.

Paula's own experience led her from fearing she had early-onset dementia and questioning almost every area of her life to understanding just how much can be happening to women during midlife. Together, we look at what can happen when menopause collides with careers, relationships, responsibilities and financial security, and why struggling to manage everything you once did doesn't necessarily mean you've become less capable.

• Why she wasn't prepared for what happened after her hysterectomy, and how dramatically things changed in the weeks that followed.
• How nine months of not understanding what was happening nearly cost her the career, marriage and family life she'd spent decades building.
• The crucial difference between losing your capability and losing your capacity, and why that distinction can completely change the way you interpret suddenly struggling with things you've managed successfully for years.
• The uncomfortable realisation that came from looking back at female colleagues she'd previously judged when their performance started to change, and how differently she sees those women now.
• What decades of heavy menstrual bleeding looked like behind closed doors, the lengths she sometimes had to go to just to leave the house, and how something so disruptive became her version of “normal.”

“I thought I had early onset dementia, arthritis, everything just accelerated so quickly.”

“He stood in front of me, I think, on about four occasions, just crying, asking where his Paula had gone.”

“I remember actually storming in and I stood up and maybe pounded her desk even, and just said, ‘This is an absolute travesty against women and what are you doing about it?’”

“We either don't talk about it at all, or we all want to make a joke of it. This is actually really serious for some women.”

Website: https://yourmenopausedoula.com.au/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/paulabradbrook

Want practical, evidence-informed support with menopause? Visit Panacea Pause to explore Michelle’s resources, services and ways to work with her.

Michelle Rowlinson is the founder of Panacea Pause, a Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, Menopause and Wellbeing Practitioner, best-selling author, and host of the Menopause - The Real Deal podcast.

After spending seven years searching for answers to debilitating symptoms that were eventually recognised as perimenopause, Michelle made it her mission to help other women understand what is happening to their bodies and navigate menopause with confidence.

Today, she delivers evidence-based education for women, workplaces and healthcare professionals through her CPD-accredited training, workshops and public speaking. Combining over two decades of clinical experience with her own lived experience, Michelle is passionate about translating complex science into practical, honest conversations that help women make informed decisions about their health.

Through her podcast, Michelle explores the latest evidence, challenges outdated misconceptions, and asks the questions that many women, and increasingly healthcare professionals, are asking about menopause today.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.rowlinson.official/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal

My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag

Website: www.panaceapause.co.uk

There's no shortage of advice telling women how they should exercise during perimenopause and menopause. Lift heavier weights. Build muscle. Protect your bones. Keep pushing yourself.

But women's bodies don't suddenly become identical when they reach midlife. Hormonal changes are happening alongside differences in pain, stress, sleep, menstrual cycles, health conditions and everyday life, and all of these can influence how exercise feels and how the body responds.

My guest is Chelsea Martino, an Exercise Physiologist and owner of Functional Mind Exercise Physiology in Melbourne, Australia. Chelsea works across women's health, chronic pain, neurological rehabilitation and mental health, taking a whole-person approach to exercise and movement.

Together, we challenge the idea that there's one correct way for women to exercise during perimenopause and menopause, and look at why understanding what's happening in your own body could be far more useful than simply following another set of rules.

• Why feeling strong in the gym one week and struggling with exactly the same exercise the next doesn't necessarily mean you've suddenly lost strength or fitness.
• How your menstrual cycle can affect exercise performance, and what cycle syncing could mean for the way you train at different points in the month.
• Why the current focus on lifting heavier weights during menopause may be too simplistic for women dealing with pain, fatigue, stress or other health conditions.
• What your nervous system has to do with exercise, and the surprising ways a body under stress can reveal itself through movement.
• Why doing less can sometimes lead to better results, and how breaking the cycle of pushing hard, flaring symptoms and stopping altogether could make movement more sustainable.

“I'd rather four really good ones than seven half-ass ones.”

“That cup eventually is going to overflow and tip and go, ‘I can't do this anymore.’”

“A lot of women will come in and go, ‘I can't stand my husband anymore.’”

“You're both starting to meet each other again. So there's a shift in the dynamics.”

Website: www.functionalmindep.com.au

Instagram: @_functionalmind on IG

Want practical, evidence-informed support with menopause? Visit Panacea Pause to explore Michelle’s resources, services and ways to work with her.

Michelle Rowlinson is the founder of Panacea Pause, a Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, Menopause and Wellbeing Practitioner, best-selling author, and host of the Menopause - The Real Deal podcast.

After spending seven years searching for answers to debilitating symptoms that were eventually recognised as perimenopause, Michelle made it her mission to help other women understand what is happening to their bodies and navigate menopause with confidence.

Today, she delivers evidence-based education for women, workplaces and healthcare professionals through her CPD-accredited training, workshops and public speaking. Combining over two decades of clinical experience with her own lived experience, Michelle is passionate about translating complex science into practical, honest conversations that help women make informed decisions about their health.

Through her podcast, Michelle explores the latest evidence, challenges outdated misconceptions, and asks the questions that many women, and increasingly healthcare professionals, are asking about menopause today.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.rowlinson.official/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal

My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag

Website: www.panaceapause.co.uk

Menopause can be difficult enough to navigate, but what happens when it comes as part of breast cancer treatment and the usual options for managing symptoms may not be straightforward?

For some women, the transition can happen incredibly quickly. Then, once cancer treatment ends, they can find themselves trying to work out who is actually responsible for helping with everything that comes next.

My guest is NHS doctor and executive coach Dr Alex, who has more than 25 years' experience in medicine, much of it in oncology. Her work supporting women after breast cancer led her to notice something that went beyond the physical symptoms of menopause.

Because what happens when you treat the hormones, but a woman still doesn't feel like herself?

We talk about menopause after cancer before widening the conversation to the brain, confidence, identity, work and the enormous load many women are carrying by the time they reach midlife. And we challenge an increasingly common message about what women should be doing with their lives and careers as they get older.

• Why women experiencing menopause after breast cancer can find themselves caught between different healthcare services, and what can happen when nobody quite takes ownership of the whole picture.
• What could be behind some of the frightening changes women notice in their memory, concentration and ability to cope in midlife, and why Alex believes we need to look beyond hormones alone.
• What Alex means by the “midlife brain”, and why your brain may be dealing with far more than fluctuating hormones by the time you reach your 40s and 50s.
• Why she challenges the message that midlife women should automatically slow down, step back or do less, particularly when it comes to their careers.
• The difference between capacity and capability, and why confusing the two can completely change the way a woman sees herself when she starts struggling.

“Life's supposedly meant to be coming back to normal, but it rarely does.”

“So I'll have some HRT and life will be normal again. And it's just not that straightforward.”

“It's very easy just to put it all down to menopausal symptoms, but they do land on an already full plate.”

“If I forget a sentence mid-meeting, everyone thinks I'm going through menopause and I'm about to have a meltdown.”

Email: [email protected]

Website: dralexcoach.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alex-kuciejewska-2767a334a

Want practical, evidence-informed support with menopause? Visit Panacea Pause to explore Michelle’s resources, services and ways to work with her.

Michelle Rowlinson is the founder of Panacea Pause, a Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, Menopause and Wellbeing Practitioner, best-selling author, and host of the Menopause - The Real Deal podcast.

After spending seven years searching for answers to debilitating symptoms that were eventually recognised as perimenopause, Michelle made it her mission to help other women understand what is happening to their bodies and navigate menopause with confidence.

Today, she delivers evidence-based education for women, workplaces and healthcare professionals through her CPD-accredited training, workshops and public speaking. Combining over two decades of clinical experience with her own lived experience, Michelle is passionate about translating complex science into practical, honest conversations that help women make informed decisions about their health.

Through her podcast, Michelle explores the latest evidence, challenges outdated misconceptions, and asks the questions that many women, and increasingly healthcare professionals, are asking about menopause today.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.rowlinson.official/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal

My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag

Website: www.panaceapause.co.uk

For many women, reaching their 40s can bring a baffling change. The organisation, focus and ability to keep on top of life that they've relied on for years suddenly seem to disappear. Things feel more overwhelming, their memory isn't what it was, emotions can become harder to regulate and they may find themselves wondering why they just can't cope like they used to.

For some, this is also the point when a lifetime of behaviours, struggles and apparent contradictions begins to make sense.

In this episode, I look at what we currently know about the connection between ADHD and hormonal changes during perimenopause, why existing ADHD traits can become much harder to manage at this stage of life, and why this is leading some women to recognise their own neurodivergence for the very first time.

• Why so many women with ADHD reach midlife without ever knowing they're neurodivergent, and why the way ADHD can present in girls has played such a big part in this.
• How you can spend your whole life unknowingly building ways to compensate for the way your brain works, and what can happen when those strategies suddenly aren't enough.
• The connection between oestrogen and the brain chemicals involved in attention, motivation, memory and executive function, and what this could mean during perimenopause.
• Why the mental health impact of perimenopause may be particularly significant for neurodivergent women, and the midlife statistic I think we should all be paying attention to.
• What finally made me seek an ADHD diagnosis and try medication after going my whole life without either, and what happened when I did.

“If you have ADHD at 45, your brain didn't suddenly download it along with your first hot flush.”

“My autistic brain likes things neat and tidy, organised and in their place. My ADHD brain apparently sees that as a personal challenge.”

“Then I blink, and the ADHD has come through like a Tasmanian devil, and suddenly my desk looks like a bomb has gone off.”

“Apparently 11:47 at night is when my brain has decided to produce some of my greatest ideas.”

“Even the sound of your partner chewing or even breathing can suddenly make you question whether prison really would be that bad.”

Want practical, evidence-informed support with menopause? Visit Panacea Pause to explore Michelle’s resources, services and ways to work with her.

Michelle Rowlinson is the founder of Panacea Pause, a Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, Menopause and Wellbeing Practitioner, best-selling author, and host of the Menopause - The Real Deal podcast.

After spending seven years searching for answers to debilitating symptoms that were eventually recognised as perimenopause, Michelle made it her mission to help other women understand what is happening to their bodies and navigate menopause with confidence.

Today, she delivers evidence-based education for women, workplaces and healthcare professionals through her CPD-accredited training, workshops and public speaking. Combining over two decades of clinical experience with her own lived experience, Michelle is passionate about translating complex science into practical, honest conversations that help women make informed decisions about their health.

Through her podcast, Michelle explores the latest evidence, challenges outdated misconceptions, and asks the questions that many women, and increasingly healthcare professionals, are asking about menopause today.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.rowlinson.official/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle_rowlinson

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-rowlinson-38330b21a

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MenopauseTheRealDeal

My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag

Website: www.panaceapause.co.uk

What if some of the strange changes happening to your body aren't random after all?

When we think about menopause symptoms, hot flushes, night sweats and changing periods probably spring to mind. But hormonal changes can affect far more of the body than many women realise, sometimes showing up in ways that seem completely unrelated to menopause.

In this episode, I'm joined by GP and BMS-accredited Menopause Specialist and Trainer Dr Rebeccah Tomlinson for a fascinating conversation about the lesser-known symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, including some that surprised even us as health professionals.

Together, we uncover just how wide-ranging the effects of hormonal change can be, including some symptoms neither of us would immediately have associated with menopause. It's a conversation that shows just how much there still is to understand about the way hormones can affect us, and why joining the dots isn't always as straightforward as we might think.

• Why symptoms that appear completely unrelated to menopause can sometimes have a hormonal connection, and why they can be so easily missed.
• How declining and fluctuating hormones can affect areas of the body we don't necessarily associate with menopause, from our joints and connective tissues to our skin, senses and nervous system.
• Why some women suddenly develop fears or anxiety around things they've done confidently for years, and what hormones could have to do with it.
• How hormonal changes can sometimes mimic other conditions, potentially leading women down a path of referrals, investigations and even treatment that doesn't address what's actually driving their symptoms.
• Why vaginal and bladder symptoms are about far more than dryness, and why recognising and treating them could have implications for women's health well beyond menopause.

“We kind of push it away as just part of getting older rather than actually, is this hormonally driven?”

“The body doesn't read the textbook. It just does what it wants to do.”

“And then you wonder why we sit here and think we're going mad, because you're just like, well, that's not in any book I've read.”

“A lot of consultations don't get to that last bit of the conversation. We get to, ‘Everything's normal. Fine, go.’”

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Want practical, evidence-informed support with menopause? Visit Panacea Pause to explore Michelle’s resources, services and ways to work with her.

Michelle Rowlinson is the founder of Panacea Pause, a Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, Menopause and Wellbeing Practitioner, best-selling author, and host of the Menopause - The Real Deal podcast.

After spending seven years searching for answers to debilitating symptoms that were eventually recognised as perimenopause, Michelle made it her mission to help other women understand what is happening to their bodies and navigate menopause with confidence.

Today, she delivers evidence-based education for women, workplaces and healthcare professionals through her CPD-accredited training, workshops and public speaking. Combining over two decades of clinical experience with her own lived experience, Michelle is passionate about translating complex science into practical, honest conversations that help women make informed decisions about their health.

Through her podcast, Michelle explores the latest evidence, challenges outdated misconceptions, and asks the questions that many women, and increasingly healthcare professionals, are asking about menopause today.

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My Book: You, me conquering perimenopause & menopause https://amzn.eu/d/hCcbjag

Website: www.panaceapause.co.uk