Mell on Menopause & more

Ahhhhh Perimenopause, ADHD, Divorce, Scottish exams are not GCSE’s and married at first sight! 

That’s what happens when two ADHD women catch up 🤣

@onebusymumof4 Jen shares how she believes her perimenopause symptoms started around age 30. 

Cystic acne, heavy bleeding, brain fog, anxiety, fatigue, struggling to find the right words and thinning hair coming out in clumps. 

At 38 Jen now has finally heard the words “believe you are perimenopausal” but no conversation about HRT will be entertained until she’s 45. 

Jen is seeing amazing results from the products we share. I am so glad they are helping her. 

I hope she can couple them with HRT soon. 

That’s a magic combination for sure 🫶🏻

In Jen and I's first live we cover so much! How knowing you aren't the only one struggling with perimenopause. Realising it probably is perimenopause and how the symptoms have impacted our lives. Jen is a 38 year old mum who started with symptoms aged just 35. First of many lives with Jen that I will be uploading on here to help and reach more of you.

Perimenopause and hormonal mental health issues. Low mood, overwhelm, anxiety, sadness, lack of motivation, problems focusing, stress, difficulty concentrating, and depression were all symptoms I experienced. 

I had NO idea they were hormonal issues. 

I kept saying I believed I was perimenopausal. I had symptoms upon symptoms upon symptoms. 

I pray my videos, other peoples videos raise awareness so others can know what is going on with them. 

It’s incredibly common for women to experience mental health problems as a result of the hormone changes which happen during menopause. 

Its ignored by GPs time and time again. Women laughed at when they say they are perimenopausal. It has to stop. Correct diagnosis will mean millions of women are not handed incorrect prescriptions. 

This has to change. 

NOTE: Anti depressants help many & have an important role to support mental health. This is not a hate campaign for incredibly beneficial medications for those who require SSRIs etc for the chemical imbalance / depression. 

41 and in a footy field when a friend said "that sounds like perimenopause" the first symptoms I experienced. Why I believe I started at 37 thanks to constant UTI's. My doctor gives me anti depressants and it starts a chain of events that shaped the next four years of my life.

Note: I am not a doctor or health professional this is purely my story

Goodness since I opened up a podcast account in May 2021 so much has happened! I had just started HRT, was reevaluating the business I was partnered with and realising I was ADHD. Almost two years on I am ready to get back in the podcast saddle and start to share with you my perimenopause story, what I have learnt about hormones, perimenopause, menopause, HRT, herbal support, women health, what nutrition looks like for women over 40, why what used to work doesn't work with regards to weightloss, the many symptoms you can have at any age for perimenopause, how to get the best support from your GP, the things that have helped me be heard by the health profession, ADHD, emotions, medications, mushrooms lol and oh my goodness so much more.

If you are a woman that has ever felt scared, frustrated or not heard about your health, stepping foot out of your house or within your house then I will be sharing my thoughts and also inviting lots of other amazing ladies who have supported, inspired or simple have incredible stories I know you will enjoy then you are in the right place.

No more procrastinating.......oh goodness the pressure is on here lol.

Who even am I?

That’s the question I found myself answering time and time again as I sat staring at messages not knowing how to reply, would forget what I was saying, whilst saying it, not be able to fulfil the simplest of tasks and forgotten how to function as the kick ass woman and momma I had been so not so very long ago.

It’s often one of the most troubling symptoms. Called brain fog it’s when you struggle to remember a word mid-sentence, forget names, find it hard to focus or put your thoughts into words. It’s particularly difficult at work and partly to blame for up to a quarter of women considering leaving their job. It can be so dramatic that many women are fearful they have dementia.

So, what is brain fog? It’s an umbrella term that includes forgetfulness, poor concentration, trouble finding words and confusion. 60% of women experience this, particularly during perimenopause.

I share my experience of feeling like I was losing myself and my mind so you can hopefully realise you aren’t alone. And maybe you just need to recognise it for what it is because you’ve actually been really quite concerned about your ability to function.

I hope you love it. Thank you for all the amazing support to date 🥰🥰

This episode is such an emotional one for me.  After years of struggling with my mental health and being told I was too young to be perimenopausal I do eventually reach the magic age of 45 when all of the symptoms I've had for years are suddenly now able to be hormonal.  There is a happy ending, but I have to reach rock bottom and I share how I was basically ridiculed by a GP in the surgery car park.  It's one of the most important episodes I think I will ever make. Because I hope and pray that by hearing my experience many women will know that it's not you, you aren't alone and the treatment of so many women is not even sub standard. It's neglect!  I know you are doubting yourself but I also know that you are in this body so understand it better that anyone else.  Stay strong and keep asking for the right support.

I first heard the word perimenopause in my early 40's from a fellow footy mum.  Over the following 4 to 5 years my symptoms increased and I pretty much was ticking every single box.  Irregular periods, Low mood, loss of joy, insomnia, bloating, weight gain, anxiety, heart palpitations, hands swelling, hair thinning, low confidence, plummeting self belief and feeling like my family would be better without me.  If I was a horse they would have put me down was what I joked to people.  But it wasn't funny and in February 2021 I could take no more.  Stood in the surgery car park sobbing, asking for help and being told I was irritable.  Yet still the answer was apparently the anti depressants which I was repeatedly sharing concerns over as they didn't seem to be working.  Well hormonal balances don't tend to be solved by medication for chemical imbalances in your brain. You aren't alone! This is my first episode and I can't wait to talk more about my journey, what's helped me and also introduce some wonderful guest speakers who are not just incredible business women with incredible brains and drive but also some of my best friends! We will talk about the menopause as well as the myriad of other challenges women face on a daily basis.  Thank you for listening.  I would love to hear fro you on what helped and what you would like me to take about next.