Real Menopause Talk

Dr Terry specialises in hormonal acne, aesthetic treatments and hormonal balance, especially for Perimenopause and Menopause. She has an impressive list of highly respected medical credentials and is a working mother who understands the pressures and stresses of modern day life. She shares her experience of Perimenopause, what she does to take care of herself and maintain optimum health. She is a fierce believer that you should do what you need to do to make yourself happy, without fear of judgement and to, “Eat Well, Rest Well, Love Well.” You can find Dr Terry at: https://drterryloong.com and @dr_terry_

Louise is a full time TCM Practitioner and mother based in Newcastle Upon Tyne. Her passion is endometriosis and she treats many, many women for fertility. As she grows with her patients and enters Perimenopause herself, she is seeing more evidence of this in her clinic. Insomnia is the symptom that she battles with the most at the moment but she sees it regularly in clinic as well. The trouble with Perimenopause is that there are often fewer physical symptoms and more emotional and mental ones that take their toll. The often dismissed lack of joy, for example but this can be huge, “I want some joy back”, she says. For this reason, she urges us to talk to our partners and others so that they can better understand and support. She is happy to see changes in perception of Menopause beginning to happen: “It’s women changing the narrative now.” You can find Louise at: https://louisecollyeracupuncture.co.uk

Rhiannon runs her own divorce consultancy. Previously a family law solicitor, she now provides practical help and emotional support to people struggling with divorce or separation. In this episode, we cover A LOT. Not only is Rhiannon’s Perimenopause story fascinating but her relationship perspective and advice is gold. A couple of years ago, Rhiannon underwent a hysterectomy, keeping her ovaries. Post operation, she was left with no support other than how to manage after any surgery. It wasn’t until she broke both her ankles and had a bone density scan, that someone recommended HRT. Perimenopause hadn’t been something she talked about much but as she opens up more, her friends are beginning to do the same. Professionally, she has noticed divorce ‘symptoms’ and Perimenopause symptoms have much in common which can be something to consider before making any big relationship decisions. If you are having relationship challenges, or know someone who is, you will want to hear every word Rhiannon has to say and keep her right by your side. You can find Rhiannon at: https://rhiannonford.co.uk @thedivorcenavigator

Susan is a Dyslexia Tutor , mother of three grown-up children (aged 17 - 24) and a Specialist Menopause Yoga Teacher. She is some years Post Menopause and shares her retrospective experience of Peri all the way through to Post Menopause and reflects on what she may have done differently with the knowledge she has today. We have come a long way from women ‘having a turn’ and being sent to a sanatorium but we are still at the tip of the iceberg. She says of midlife, “It’s great! The future looks good. We have so much life to live” You can reach Susan at: susanbowman09@sky.com

Lucy Goff lives London with her husband, daughter and dog. She is not phased by Perimenopause because she knows she has a way through. In this episode she explains that she never envisaged setting up her own company but her own illness lead her down a route to healing that was so powerful that she decided to bring the solution to genuine wellbeing to market. She says of midlife, “It’s the first time in your life when you start to take a real look at what’s working and what’s not.” This ethos of products that disrupt broken markets and show us what really works is what drives her to new creations. You can find Lyma at https://lyma.life

Dr Andie Siggers is a GP and Functional Medicine Practitioner. Carol Milliner is a Health and Lifestyle Coach. They make up half of Change The Change. They each have two children and an impressive passion for fitness having run ultra marathons together. It was this friendship and Perimenopause discussions through running that brought the team together to change the way Menopause was managed. With experts in Nutrition, Fitness, Lifestyle and Medicine, they look at the whole picture of how a woman can restore her whole being mentally and physically and give her ‘health for life’. Neither of them had the ‘traditional’ hot flashes: Andie was poleaxed by uncharacteristic and debilitating exhaustion and Carol found many symptoms creeping into her life. Andie gives us an insight as to why the UK GP system operates as it does with regards to Menopause and tells us how to talk to your GP successfully. To find them visit: https://changethechange.co.uk @change_thechange

Herschel “Buzz” Peddicord lives and works in Wisconsin, USA. He has dedicated his life to female pelvic health. His mother challenged him to find a solution to her many night time visits to the bathroom…so he did. We discuss the two types of incontinence, sexual health and what Buzz has created to solve all of these problems that women can encounter after childbirth and in later life. He describes why incontinence occurs and why it is so important to address it sooner rather than later. “I think that 50 and above is Prime Time for women and you should be able to enjoy it.” He also has a few words to say about what men can do to support the women in their lives. You can find Buzz at https://incontrolmedical.com

Charlotte is a Menopause Nutritionist with an astounding knowledge of hormones and their wide ranges of functions. Due to a myriad of health issues, she underwent a rather sudden hysterectomy at the age of 44 and overnight went into Menopause, feeling as though she had been ‘hit by a bus’. She tells us of her GP’s reaction to her HRT prescription and then throws divorce into the mix as well. Tune in to find out how she supported her health and managed her way through this period of her life. Having always been interested in nutrition, she has a wealth of experience both professionally and personally. Charlotte specialised very early on in Menopause and the management of hormones through food, either in conjunction with HRT or without. She takes a holistic approach to her clients and always looks at the Big Picture to optimise health and wellbeing. To find Charlotte visit: Current website: https://charlottehunternutrition.co.uk Future website (coming soon): https://mymenopausenutritionist.com Enquiries: hello@charlottehunternutrition.co.uk

Charlotte Cave is an exceptional hairdresser. She treats everyone as though they were a good friend and her best client, as do the rest of her team. When you leave her chair, you feel as though you could take on the world and all that it may throw at you…glamorously. She owns two salons in South London, is a wife and a mother to two sons. In this Episode, Charlotte is contagiously candid about her experience of Peri to Post Menopause and shares her lowest ebbs with humour and grace. She also tells us that most of us are washing out hair wrong - erm, guilty! - and how to do it so that even with the hormonal changes we undergo as we get older, we can have beautiful tresses. Hair is deeply important to how many of us feel about ourselves and she gives great advice on how to care for it at home so it feels and looks great. If you fancy trying out her magic in person, you can find her at https://charlottecave.com

Christine and her husband Christophe own a magnificent tourist estate that can accommodate 42 people and receptions for up to 100 and an adjacent restaurant in the South of France. It’s the sort of place that if you stay there, you can’t help but feel great by the time you leave. Between them they have four grown-up sons, two cats and a selection of chickens. In this Episode, Christine shines a light on her experience of the French attitude towards Menopause including doctors, men and women. Her own knowledge of Perimenopause and onwards was limited to the cessation of periods and a vague notion of women sweating. Around the same time as moving to Mas des Oules, the menopause entered her life... unawares. Nobody talks about menopause around her, so when the first symptoms came on (problems sleeping, concentrating, excessive anxiety, slow digestion), she didn't make the connection. She didn't understand what was happening to her, associating it with depression when she was having one of the happiest times of her life... She is a true advocate for talking up when nobody else is and she is passionate about preparing young women so that they are not scared and are simply prepared. Her Instagram is a peek into Mas des Oules and a visual treat: @masdesoules