Finally, let’s talk

Women share their experiences as Menopause Cafe opens its doors

Why is menopause still taboo in 2017?

Slowly things are changing as women in the public eye are starting to speak up about their own experiences.

Just last week, TV star Nadia Sawalha made a video about her hair loss, caused by the perimenopause, which is the lead up to the menopause.

Carol Vorderman revealed her menopause left her at an “all- time low” and called for the NHS to provide tailored hormone replacement therapy for women.

Kirsty Wark also made a documentary, The Menopause And Me.

Now one group of women is keeping that conversation going with an event next week in Perth, The Menopause Café.

It’s the brainchild of Rachel Weiss. And she’s supported by partner Andy Sanwell, who is helping her to set it up.

Rachel and Andy believe men should be part of the conversation, too. They’re encouraging guys to come along and be part of the evening.

“As I’ve gone through life, friends have usually told me their stories about the next stages of life, like getting married, having kids, empty nest and so on,” Rachel says.

“But it struck me that no one had mentioned the menopause. It affects about half the population and affects the other half who live and work with them – but nobody talks about it.”

Andy says: “I was surprised to see how dismissive women can be about menopause. Some didn’t feel the need to talk about it because it was just something that happened and would pass.

“The fact they could do something about the physical symptoms seemed to have escaped them and, in some cases, I don’t think theirs or other people’s mental health was considered.”

R a c h el is hoping The Menopause Café will go some way to changing how we deal with menopause.

“I hope hearing about The Menopause Café will encourage people to start their own conversations with family, friends and colleagues. I’d love to see it become an everyday topic of conversation.”

Andy agrees. “I think we can be pretty appalling about the support we give each other during major life changes.

“The menopause is one of them and I think if we took more time to sit down and listen to people’s experiences, people would become more resilient.”

There are several ways to deal with menopause. The Sunday Post headed to Perthshire to find out how three women coped with their symptoms...