Over the last few days I have spoken to women in various states of emotional distress due to their menopause symptoms and the way that they have been treated by their GP’s, employers and even their own partners. This is not unusual, I hear similar stories every day of every week and I know that for every woman I work with there are thousands of others out there experiencing similar situations.

As a psychotherapist with medical menopause training I have spent the last few years specialising in providing menopause counselling, education and support for women and men both in and out of the workplace. I can truly empathise with each and every one of the women I work with, as back in 2013, due to my own menopause experience, I came very close to taking my own life.

In April 2012 I hadn’t given menopause a second thought, twelve months later I had become completely consumed by it. Hysterectomy surgery including removal of my ovaries put me into surgical menopause overnight. Having received no information or advice about the possible effects of my surgery at the hospital I was discharged and told to visit my doctor once I felt strong enough. The hot flushes began almost immediately but I had booked an appointment with a nutritionist to discuss how I could cope with the symptoms. At my doctor appointment I politely refused HRT when it was mentioned but didn’t explain why and the doctor didn’t ask, with hindsight it is clear that had we discussed it further things could have been very different.