The Perimenopause and Me

In this powerful and deeply personal blog, volunteer, Vicky shares her journey through the menopause, from misdiagnosis and despair to advocacy and empowerment, to help others find hope, understanding, and the support they deserve.

“My menopause journey has been a rollercoaster to say the least and at times, one I struggled with mentally and physically and, at the darkest moments, one I didn’t want to live through.

It started at least 18 months before I reached complete burn out and no longer felt capable of working. I’d visited the Doctor on numerous occasions and not once during any appointment was menopause mentioned, and to be honest it wasn’t something that was on my radar. Menopause was what happened to old ladies wasn’t it? I honestly thought I had early on-set dementia.

I now know that I was in perimenopause, and my suffering could have easily been prevented with just a little bit of knowledge, to help me recognise and question, if in fact my symptoms were menopause related.

It took a close friend of mine, who arrived at my house with Louise Newson’s book, a menopause symptom tracker and cake – obviously, for me to understand what was happening! I became adamant that I didn’t want anyone else to suffer, and potentially choose not to live through the menopause. Therefore, I began reading, researching and reaching out to people in the Women’s Health space and even qualified as a Menopause Support Coach so I could help others.

Standing on my soapbox and banging the metaphorical menopause drum to support and educate others about everything menopause related has become my passion and life purpose. I will keep banging that drum because knowledge is power and everyone deserves access to the information that can change their lives.”