PinnedMember-onlyWho is Helen Clare, when she’s at home?(As they say in Lancashire) — She’s probably the person who taught you sex education. She’s most likely the teacher you came to when you needed a sanitary towel, or got into trouble, or had an embarrassing question. …Menopause2 min readMenopause2 min read
May 27Member-onlyDealing with Problem Menstrual Bleeding in SchoolsHave you noticed that we don’t usually get squicked out by the sight of a spot of blood on a man’s collar because he’s cut himself shaving? …Perimenopause4 min readPerimenopause4 min read
Apr 30Schools, Menopause and the LawWhat you need to know — You may have heard that the government have decided not to make menopause a protected characteristic in its own right. While this has been disappointing for many, it does not mean that staff struggling with the menopausal transition are not protected. The government’s response was that menopause did not need…Menopause2 min readMenopause2 min read
Feb 26What are FODMAPS (and why might you care!)I’m writing this article, even though it’s not strictly about menopause, because understanding FODMAPs has been so helpful to me and because digestive issues do sometimes get worse during perimenopause and going into menopause. …Menopause3 min readMenopause3 min read
Feb 11Member-onlyTop Tips for Dealing with your DoctorThis is one of the things I get asked about the most. These conversations often go wrong. Not (usually!) because people are wrong or stupid or bad — but because there’s time pressure, miscommunication and a mismatch of expectations. Here are some ways to avoid that. 1 Find the right…Menopause4 min readMenopause4 min read
Jan 26Member-onlyDigging into the Government’s Response to the Menopause ProposalsIt’s disappointing. Of course it is. But I wanted to dig into the reports and see what’s behind the headlines. If you want to check it out yourself, here’s the government response to the proposals and and the British Menopause Society’s response to that response. The government has accepted a…Menopause4 min readMenopause4 min read
Jan 21Member-onlyGetting back on our feet after injury in Perimenopause and MenopauseWe fall. We get up again. But it takes longer than ever! — Last week I fell. I don’t believe I’m quite at the age where you ‘have falls’ so lets stick with ‘I fell’! It was a freak accident. I was running home because a courier had left a valuable parcel on my doorstep in plain sight. (I won’t name names but…Menopause3 min readMenopause3 min read
Dec 20, 2022Member-onlyHave a Merry Peri-Christmas!Sometimes there’s not much rest for the Merry Gentlewomen! — If we’re not careful we’re just swapping one lot of work and stress for another — especially as the run up to Christmas has been so intense we reach the school holidays without the time to do much in the way of Christmas preparations. And in fact some of us…Menopause3 min readMenopause3 min read
Nov 30, 2022Member-onlyHack Your Meno-Brain10 tips for organising your life when your brain won’t play nice! — During menopause and perimenopause changes to the rate at which our brain cells metabolise can cause forgetfulness, fatigue and problems with focus. While there’s evidence that this does eventually settle down, it’s not much fun dealing with it in the meantime. There are things you can do to look after…Menopause6 min readMenopause6 min read
Nov 20, 2022Member-onlyThe Dreaded Brain Fog!And what we can do about it. The drop in our oestrogen level affects a few different parts of our brain and causes us quite a few problems. It affects our hippocampus which affects our memory, which means we forget what we’re doing or what we were going to say …Menopause3 min readMenopause3 min read
