The Dr Louise Newson Podcast - 010 - MegsMenopause - Meg Mathews & Dr Louise Newson

Episode Date: August 13, 2019

In this episode, Dr Newson is joined by former music industry PR guru Meg Mathews. Together, they discuss Meg's reasons for creating her website, MegsMenopause, and why she has worked so hard to improve menopause education for women. Meg talks very openly about her dreadful menopause experience and how she had no idea what was happening to her - as indeed so many women don't. Thankfully she is so much better now, taking the right dose and type of HRT. Meg works tirelessly to educate women (and men) about the menopause and how it can affect their lives. In this podcast, Dr Newson and Meg discuss the different ways women can receive the right help and advice.  Meg's Three Take Home Tips: Share with your family! Your symptoms may also affect those closest to you so it could be helpful to share how you are feeling and why. If you have an inkling of any menopausal symptoms, fill out this questionnaire - if you have 5 or more symptoms then you may want to go and see your GP. Self love! Things can feel so overwhelming during the menopause so take time for yourself and put yourself first. www.megsmenopause.com

Welcome to the Newsome Health Menopause podcast. I'm Dr Louise Newsom, a GP and menopause specialist, and I run the Newsome Health Menopause and Wellbeing Centre here in Stratford-upon-Avon. So today I'm really excited because today I've got Meg Matthews here from Meg's Menopause. Is that what I say? Yes, please. Yeah. So I was just thinking, actually, I've got no idea.

when I met you but it was a while ago can you remember yeah I remember exactly when I met you at the silk event really don't want to say silk but I have to but I do like silk I met you at silk event oh in London in London and we were with those two comedians that were amazing the mummies or whatever scummy mummies yes and we did that and that's when we met and that was it was January 2018 gosh you see your brain sharp yeah it is today I've got a sharp day I've got a sharp day today, everybody. I'm quite informed today. Good, so we've caught you at the right time. Can I just say, I'm here at Louise's

wellness clinic, can I say? Well, menopause and well-being centre, we don't like the word clinic, because that's medical centre, yeah? Okay, so I thought that, I might have said it what I just want to say, and it's amazing, ladies, and I've come here in the waiting room, it's got a really nice ambience and there's music playing and lots of goodies to buy and to look at and books, and yeah, you feel quite safe when you come in here. Good. Yeah, I felt there's a well-

It's safe and a really good and it's a beautiful building. So I just want to say, and I've been dying to come up here because I didn't make the opening. I mean, as Louise did, so I felt quite bad. So, but I've made it here and I'm very excited to be here. Oh, thank you. No, it's really nice. It's my new home. Yeah, it's amazing.

But we've done it to just create. You're right. Menopause can be really scary and people can feel very alone. And a lot of women, as you know, aren't being offered the right treatment, which is something we can talk about in a bit. So I wanted to create something that was a bit. that was a bit just a sanctuary really, that they feel that they're looking, they get looked after right from the moment

they walk through the door, because it's not just about a clinical diagnosis and a prescription. No. It's a whole journey that people have gone on and the journey needs to hopefully change when they come here. So, you know, you've met some of my staff. Yeah, everyone was lovely, Dan says, and as you walk in, you know, walked in

and there was just a waiting room full of women and they all just didn't want to have eye contact for a second. And then I went, hello, ladies. And it's great because actually sometimes they start helping each other in the waiting room. Yeah, yeah, it's probably... Which is great. And then after they've been to see us, they feel confident.

And you'll have a blood test and you'll meet Polly in a bit. I've got a couple of nurses Polly and Tracy. And that journey carries on. Yeah. Well, that's like I said, a wee... 30 years, you know, for probably the next 30 years you're going to be going through this. Yeah. And, you know, I just did a podcast before with Louise. So I just wanted to bring this in, which is really important,

that what a lot of women are saying to me, I'm coming through, my menopause after five years or ten years or whatever, how long you're feeling it, three years. And we know that you have to carry on taking HOT or you don't have to, but it's advisable to, isn't it? Well, the guidelines are clear that you can carry on, which is really good. So tell us about, because we met also at your lovely conference recently, we were chatting and I was saying, Meg, if I've met you 10 years ago and I'd said to you, you would be doing all this menopause work, you probably would have laughed in my face. Oh my God, I so would have done.

It was just, you know, five years ago, even when I had the launch of Meg's Menopause, I mean, Caroline, who's my press and my partner, whatever, was going, you know, we're going to do a launch party and everything. And I was like, yeah, yeah. And I was just thinking, God, five years ago, if I would have done a launch party at homehouse, when there was going to be free drinks and had a really cool DJ and it was all really trendy, you know what I mean? I would have, I would have, I would have been, are you mad? I'm not being seen there. I mean, and there was women and all my friends came and everyone was like, you know, loving it and dancing and all being at the start of my menopause website.

And I was just thinking, but five years ago, wouldn't be seen dead anywhere near. I wouldn't have. But also, it just was not anything that was on your radar. There's nothing out there. So let's, because I know I've heard a story and you've shared this about, but there will be some people that haven't heard it. Yeah. So you from being the most amazing party organiser, party animal, socialite, everything else. Yeah.

What brought you into opening Meg's menopause and doing this work? Because I had no knowledge of the menopause and I had the worst symptoms of the menopause as everyone knows. I had the worst anxiety, had the fatigue, the night sweats, the aching joints, you know, the swelling of the breast, the dry mouth syndrome, the overwhelming of life.

I mean, you name it, I really thought, What did you think was going on? I thought that all my 90s Britpot partying lifestyle, I was one of those ravers. I did live my life, sex, drugs, rock and roll. So I thought everything my mum said when she said, everything is going to catch, you know, you don't know what you're taking me, you do, da, da, da, da, da.

I think that, oh, whatever, whatever. I really thought that I'd shattered my nervous system or something that I'd done of my party lifestyle in my past. I'd eventually caught up with me, which everyone had always said, and it's going to catch up with you everything that you do and I really thought it had so I was really embarrassed because I was just sitting and thinking

oh my God it has almost serves me right yeah you know so you're right so when I went to my GP and just sort of burst into tears and he said here's the antidepressants I thought yeah that's it because I've probably used up every bit of serotonin that I had in my body by these drugs that I've taken because they all you know make your serotonin flood and your system that's why we take them

and I'm a recovering alcoholic now so I don't touch anything like that, but I did do. I really thought that's what it was. So I was embarrassed about it and ashamed and that was the only thing that triggered light went on in my head was that was the reasoning why. Did you take the antidepressants? I did take the antidepressants. Did they help? The antidepressants, I don't really know because they were for the anxiety. I did feel very, I didn't feel depressed at all. I just felt flat like no excitement to come in. I was nothing. When Christmas is coming, I just was like, oh my God, Christmas because it means more energy oh my god it means i've got to try and think and keep you know got to get by presence oh my god

that that's overwhelming yeah so there was that and like even going on holiday was overwhelming nothing was looked forward to everything came with too many things for me to cope with and the antidepressants of course they didn't kick in because my hormones were not balanced out but you didn't know that at the time so i was you know plugging these and then i was just like um yeah okay and probably made me even flatter because i don't know what really antidepressants do even though they say this is for anti-anxiety. It didn't really help with the anxiety at all. I could tell the anxiety was definitely,

would only come worse, probably when my eastern levels were dropping. Yeah. So, because it was like 48, 49 I was put on them. So it was coming right up to when I thought that I was, you know, I would have probably like one or two days. Some days I didn't even need to put tampax in.

I would just put a bit of tissue in my... Yeah. So the brina coil is a coil that has a type of progestogen in it. A lot of women don't get any periods with us at all. And so certainly we see a lot of women who you don't know about your periods been changing. So why would you think about your hormones? Because you're not having... I didn't.

And it was my partner that, you know, he was the one. Of course he did. Because I had also my libido had gone down. And so he was also noticing, he was like, God, she never comes on. a period and she has no libido. So it was more of him nagging me that made me sort of come, yeah, because, yeah, I was like, you know, stay away from me sort of thing. And I really didn't really feel like having sex at all. And I was quite highly sex before. So he really noticed that.

He noticed a massive change into it. So it was more about people around me, like, you know, we talk about our daughter's noticing things. You talk about your daughter noticing. So it was people that People were worried about you. Yeah. So I was, you know, didn't really want to say. I wasn't looking forward to holidays. You know, be panicking about things all the time was always a bit nervy. And, you know, everyone was a bit like, wow, this is, this is not the meg that we knew.

Because I remember you say once that you told people you had glandia fever. That's, yeah. Out of going out. So, yeah, three months I said, yeah, I had glandia fever. So that I, because my daughter had glandia fever, you know, she was doing her at A level. and, of course, it's, you know, going 18. It's a quite a normal thing, isn't it? So she had glandia fever.

So I thought, I'm using that as well, because she hasn't got out. bed either so I'll just say oh I've got glangin fever and and you know people just do leave you you alone if you say you got glangeloved because they know you're exhausted but then I also remember you'd tell me that you'd open your wardrobe and think no and you'd wear black again and I always I often say this to people and say oh can you imagine having meg's wardrobe yeah I know and then I was like I didn't you just didn't you weren't bother you wore black leggings and just didn't just threw on the same thing most days exactly the same and that's the other thing you know it's not about dressing for other people or say you're feeling sexy.

I think it's about the lack of like the testosterone, which is really important hormone that we can talk about with you, isn't it? Which I think that until all of them are balanced again, it's like it didn't make me one of you. I was just like, oh, I'll just put on anything sort of thing. And then once everything was balanced out, it sort of gave me that kick again. Oh, I, you know, I can get back in the gym. I've got a bit more energy.

I can do that extra. I would go for a walk. I do feel like actually making an effort I'm going to go and get my roots done again I'm going to put something like you know nice on again you know and that all can enjoying life isn't it I think some one lady said to me last week I feel like the curtains have opened

yeah someone else said to me a while ago which I'll never forget that it was a bit like sleeping beauty waking up you know in the film everything's black and white and then it suddenly becomes colour when she wakes up and it's that sort of feeling it is once you have got the balance that is but so how did you know it

your hormones then. This went on and... Okay, so this went on and I basically went to an AA meeting and I shared all these things, moaning and whatever I did about everything and then afterwards this lady came up to me and she said to me,

you're not going mad, you know, you're not, I really think that you are going through the menopause. Wow. Yeah, because I just shared openly about it, you see. So how wonderful that she had picked up on that? And she picked up on it Yeah, because, you know, I just probably was just having a thing. I can't cope.

I'm at home. And, you know, we're taught to be very open and share our feelings because we drink on our feelings, alcoholic. So it's very important to express your feelings and learn how to. So I've been taught to talk about my feelings. So that's why that it makes menopause. I didn't find it very fearful to come out here and talk. Yes.

So that's how I was. So I went home and then I went running along to my gynaecologist, Sarah Matthews, and went, you know, menopause, blah, blah, blah. And then this is really funny because she looks back over all my records. And I think we go back and I have been to her, you know, when I've been having smears and whatever. And she showed me my notes because we went back. And she's showing me that she has been advising me,

but I wasn't taking it in. She was saying to me, you know, those I'd go there and I'd have a smear and I'd be going, oh, I've had a few really rough weeks. And I'm feeling, very little and everything. And she was going, yeah, you know, saying to you, you know, start to be thinking about it. But I just didn't take any of it in.

She didn't think it was relevant to you. No, I just thought, oh, whatever, Sarah, yeah, she's saying. And she actually was saying to me. Yeah, yeah. But I really didn't take it in. Well, I think we all think it's, the average age of menopause is 51, isn't it, in the UK? So even when I was getting symptoms, I was 46, and I know better because I know that perimenopause or symptoms can start earlier. But we always think, I was saying this to a friend yesterday.

Yeah, I still see myself as in my 20s. Yeah, me too. Yeah, of course. think about your age. No. So why would you think about the menopause when it's a almost like you said before, grey-haired ladies?

I imagine a little fragile like my grandma with a cane and, you know, feeling really like that. Don't imagine because now that I'm where I am now and I can look back to my symptoms, I 100% know that a lot of symptoms, the perimenopal symptoms, I 100% had from 3940 without a doubt. And I used to use on those by drinking more

and they would be the times I would self-medicate with alcohol when I was feeling shitty. So I now know that those changes were definitely happening because now I can sit here without having anything and I have to sit with my feelings and how I feel without disguising it with drinking more or whatever, which a lot of women also come to me about because they just start drinking more. Yeah, totally. I mean, I see, we always ask people about their lifestyle about how much they drink, how much they, if they smoke, how much exercise they do. because it's really important for me that we get a holistic approach to the menopause. But so many women tell me that they drink more to numb their symptoms

or they think it's going to help them sleep, which, you know, it often doesn't. But also that they think it will help with their mood. Mood, absolutely. It's a real depressive, yeah, absolutely, yeah. And people hide behind alcohol, don't they? And I think they're getting symptoms, they do. And a lot of women are so scared about HRT because they worry about this breast cancer, cancer risk, but actually even the worst type of HRT, the older types that I do not to prescribe,

the risk of breast cancer is less with the older types of HRT than drinking a couple of glasses of mine or night. Yeah, no, I know. I've heard you say this so many times of that's what I reviewed. People don't look at alcohol and think, I'm going to get breast cancer, but they'll say those three letters, HRT and that's all they think, which is so wrong, isn't it? So, well, how did you feel then when you were told by your gynaecologist, well, HRT might help? Well, what she did is she said to me,

you know, she gave me the estrogen gel. Yeah. And then I think she did give me, she gave me some testosterone gel and then she gave me progesterone and took my bloods and then said, take these. And then I was like,

but you haven't even, you haven't even, you haven't done it all my hormones. What do you mean? What do you mean? When do I get my bloods? And she was like, no, no, no, just start. Just put a couple of pumps on your arm. One pump, you know,

a tiny bit of the, you know, the testosterone because the one that she has is the male one. And then you just rub this on, you know, and I was a bit like, oh, okay, and then just a pump of the... No, she didn't give me the progesterone, because I still had my coil in at that time. So you didn't need it, no. I didn't need that, that was it. She just gave me the gel and she just said, look, this will really help make, trust me, with your nice ways.

You know, I said, what do you mean? She goes, it will start kicking in, and then once I get your bloods, then I can tell you how much you're pumping, but just do a pump or a couple of pumps for now. And then, you know, a few days I'll have all your bloods back. So I did that, and within four days... It's amazing. My night sweats stopped. I mean, I was like, and also I did, as I was going out, I was going, do you mean you just rub a bit of gel on your arm, you know?

It doesn't seem hard enough, does it? It's so easy. What I've been through, I was just like, I thought I was going to be pricking my finger here, trying to look at blood, like doing like, you know, oh, you know, monitoring all this because hormones are so delicate, they're so like this. And nowadays, I just can't believe that rubbing gel,

it's still, when I tell women, I can see their heads going, No, that's not going to work. No, no, no. And also we have in this country, everything is a pill. We pop a pill for a headache. We pop a pill for this and a pill for that. They still can't get their heads around.

The popping of the pill and each pill, you can't believe that estrogen can do help with your dryness of your vagina to your osteoporosis. When I tell them all the things, like this gel will help with all of these things. Whatever, Meg, it's still, I can see their heads saying this. And as you know, the reason that we often give the estrogen as a gel or even a patch that you just stick on your bottom is that when it gets absorbed through the skin

it goes straight to the bloodstream and so works. So in the bloodstream, it goes to all these cells which have estrogen receptors all over our bodies. Because it's going into the bloodstream, it bypasses the liver, which produces our clotting factors. So having it as a tablet

is why a lot of women do, but there is a small risk of clot. Whereas when you have it through the skin, there's no risk of clot. I've just learnt something there you go. Yeah. So that's the reason. And it's in its change, we know only about 20% of women have estrogen as a patch or gel, whereas it should be about

20% of women have it as a tablet. As a tablet. The other thing that a lot of women don't know or realise is that when you have it as a tablet, it increases something called your sex hormone binding globulin, which is a, you know that well, I'm sure, is a protein that binds your testosterone, and you know about testosterone. Testosterone, yes, I'm a big fan. So if women, we all have testosterone that we produce from our ovaries, it declines as we get older. So if you increase your SHBG, your sex hormone binding globulin, which it increases with

tablet estrogen, you have less testosterone available in your body to work. Wow. Okay. When it's bound, it doesn't work in your body. You want it free. You want the testosterone free. So a lot of women find that when they're on a tablet estrogen, their libido that's low anyway will go even lower. Wow. So a lot of women actually find they don't need testosterone if they have estrogen through the skin. Right. So certainly what we always do is give women the estrogen first. Yeah.

We might do their testosterone blood test to see what it is. But then we won't start the testosterone until a few months after. Because a lot of women come back and say, do you know what? I feel amazing. My libido's improved. My skin, my joints, energy. Everything is back just with estrogen. Yeah.

My libido gone. No. So everyone's different. Can I ask you this other question? Is it true that if testosterone doesn't work after six months for your libidone, it's probably not going to. Yeah. So usually with testosterone, as you know, it's not licensed for women in the UK. Yeah.

Which is really just a reflection that women's health isn't a priority. We have testosterone available for men, but not for women. Yeah. But it's going to come, just because it's not licensed doesn't mean it's not safe. So it's been well researched. Yeah. And we actually prescribe a female testosterone cream, as you know, called androfen, which is made in Australia.

It's regulated under the MHRA, We're allowed to prescribe it, but it has to be as a private prescription. There's a lot of work being done at the moment to get it registered and licensed. So if it's licensed, we can prescribe it safely under the NHS. Right. The moment it's private. But with... I've answered that question.

I was going to ask you that one. Yeah, so that's right. So, but we can still, as in the NHS, if a doctor's confident enough, then they can prescribe the male testosterone in smaller doses, which is what I used to do a lot as a GP. So there are ways of getting it. if you can access the right person and that's part of the problem because menopause education is dire and so I never got any education about the menopause as a undergraduate, postgraduate.

Even when I prescribed HRT I didn't even know about testosterone until a few years ago. But now there's an overwhelming amount of evidence that for not every woman but a lot of women it can help. So if you look at testosterone it works in different areas in that body but it can help with libido. but it can also hurt with mood, energy, concentration, motivation. Like you say, that sort of joy de vie, there's sort of enjoying life gets back. And as you also know, with libido, we're not an on-off switch. It's not a, have you got hormone? No.

No. But actually, a lot of women feel just better in themselves. Yeah, which then that's what I mean. Better and more confident. You're going to, like you say, do you how you might put some makeup on you. You just might want to hold your partner's hand, which you might not have touched for you because you're like, you know, so there was an article in one of the papers at the weekend and it was about sex and this woman whose libido had changed during the menopause and she was saying how she had adjusted. I don't know if you saw it, she had adjusted how she had sex and I obviously put something on social media about it.

And then she said, well, sex isn't just about penetration. And I said, absolutely not. No, of course it's not. It's about intimacy. It's about being loved. And, you know, you don't have to. A lot of people have penitage of sex and hate it. Yeah.

So it's not... So it is intimacy. You know, when you say libido, yeah. I think intimacy is a really good word because that, you know, you say libido, it does sound a bit coarse, doesn't it? It does sound a bit... Well, I think actually with men, libido is often about testosterone and it is a bit more of an on-off switch. But with women, we, you know, it's the whole package, isn't it?

Even like being whole, because when I, at the beginning, when I was going through the... I mean, I didn't even want to be held. No. I just wanted you away from it. me, do you know what I mean? Yeah, definitely. I mean, you know, my partner had the worst time because it was just, you know, we ended up splitting up because of it. Because, yeah. Well, lots of people do, Megan. It's really, it's really bad. Because I just, I want to go through this on my own. I just don't need, need you as well, you know, and I was nasty. I was really

nasty. But it's very hard for men and also female partners. We see a lot of women who are in same sex relationships. You imagine when two women are two women, yeah. And they, um, they said, well, this isn't the person I'm married. No. This isn't the person I chose to live with. And they, they desperately love their part. But they don't know how to help them. We see a lot of people here who have been picked up in, they've gone for counselling, marriage counselling. And maybe the counsellor has said, do you think it's the menopause?

What? Why? Why would that affect the way I feel. I'm not getting any flushes. So it's tragic that so many relationships are warning apart. So to get back to how makes menopause. So you start to feel better, felt great. Yeah, felt great.

And then I was just like, well, I, okay, so, you know, go backtrack a minute. So basically hitting 50, genius brand that were doing my press for me, I was going, look, guys, I'm coming up to 50. So started taking all my HRT, started feeling better again. I was like, I'm coming up to 50. I was not wanting to celebrate it, but I do now because now, for the last three months, I've been on HRT. I'm feeling great.

I'm like, you know, wow, let's, you know, get this going. So they must have rung around a few people. Sarah Bailey, who's an amazing editor of Netta Porte now, and she was at Red magazine. She said, come in, I went in. And then when they started talking about, yeah, we'll do, you know, celebrate Meg's life. She's been, you know, going since in the 90s and now we're in, you know, 2017 or whatever it was. We'll, you know, we'll do something on your life.

Anyway, when they started saying, yeah, we'll have the photographer and the studio and the time and the stylist and the makeup artist. And then I was just like, no, no, no, no, no. This whole thing came up. I wasn't quite ready for all that. And I just burst into tears actually there and then. And I was like, no, no, I'm going through the menopause. I can't handle all that. And then she was like, you're going through the menopause?

And then it just started talking. And then, of course, we just started talking. And she started talking and going, wow, this is amazing. Oh, my God. Would you like a column at Red Magazine? And that's how it just organically happens like that. And I said, well, what am I going to write? And she said, I want you to just write your experiences.

I want you just to write anything that comes to you. It's free. This column is Meg's menopause. And I was just like, and that's exactly how. how it started, just organically like that, and then started to do in the column, and then I was like, right, then the Instagram came in, and then the website came in, and then everything step by step, different things, people asking me to do talks, go this. Because it's huge, isn't it?

And I think I certainly, even as a doctor who has always helped people with the menopause, I had no idea until I decided to do this private clinic, and the reason it's private, as you know, is I cannot get a job in the NHS as a menopause specialist. I see women who come from all over the country. Yeah, I follow you on Instagram, four-hour drives. I know, and it's shocking because they can't get the right help. And every time I expose myself more in media social media... You have a wait list to see you, don't you?

Yeah, and we've got 12 doctors here, which is brilliant. But they're still really busy. And this is just a drop in the ocean because it's a worldwide problem. And I think, like, you know, you're like me, we've been sucked into this because we really want to help people and get the right information. because certainly on the internet there's a lot of bad information that's outdated or not backed on evidence. And I know you've worked really hard with some key people to make sure that it's good, credible. It's really important.

And that's why it's doing so well. And the other thing I think is great. There's lots of great things about you, Meg. Thank you. One of the good things is that you've been very vocal about how you've managed to get HRT on the NHS. Yes. Because I feel quite uncomfortable that I do private medicine. And so do the other doctors.

all the doctors that work with me are GPs and it's not in our radar ever to have done private medicine but we do it so we can help people bigger but actually we say to people look we will give you some HRT now but after three or four months when you're feeling better you can get this from your GP and we write letters

we constantly yeah exactly what Sarah Matthews do for me so yeah but you've been very open that you can get it yeah because I thought that when I was doing Megas Menopause the first thing that dropped off in my head is like I will just get put in that category degree of North London, yummy, rock and roll, mummy, it's all right for her. Yes. That came up straight away. So then that's when I took my bag, went to my, you know, surgery, got with a GP. And of course, I don't have the same GP ever in my Adelaide.

Unfortunately, it doesn't it? In central London, it's, they've come and go. I've never seen the same one twice. And then I popped everything on the table and the person did not have a clue, then made them get that big fat book out. BNF. And they had to go through and they went, yes, that's available. That progesterone that used to read, which is the best one. And then I have the little testosterone tubes, the tiny ones like that. And it was all available.

And then she said, yes, this is all available, but I can't give with testosterone because something to do with the respiratory system of a woman. That's rubbish. Often it's about poor education. Is it? Okay, so she said this to me. She was very young. She was 20-something.

GP and but she said yes this is it and then I made her ask statistics and look at different things about this gel and whatever and I was teaching her as well she had no clue she'd never seen the gel she'd never seen didn't know about testosterone and then I told her about the NHS clinics that she's with you were allowed to send me so then I knew that the the lady that I'd met in the AAS she was going to the one in Chelsea in Westminster so even though I didn't even know there was one at the Royal Free which which is two minutes from my house. Yeah.

Because I had no idea then. I actually, you know, I wouldn't say it's a big slip for other women, but for me getting there, I could be actually driving for 40 minutes. So I went to the Chelsea and West Mitchell, which Nick Paney, I think, is the head of that one there. And I was able to get the, you know, this NHS can it get everything?

So that's why I'm so vocal about it, because it is expensive. You know, Sarah Matthews, I know a lot of women would not be able to afford it to go to it. But, I mean, I know that women, if you are out there and you can, you know, go quickly. It is your health and your family and your children. You know, if you can get to it for this night, one off or two just appointments, I would do it because if it was two children that was it,

you would do it. But I understand if you really, really can't afford it, of course, just do the GP way. I think there's ways of time. We certainly, I do a lot of work with the Royal College of GPs, as you know, and we've just had a course that we're launching in September accredited by the college. So we're doing a lot of education for GPs and nurses, people in primary care. I've got an easy HLT prescribing guide that you might have seen and a lot of women are printing that off and taking it to their GPs. So I think if women have good information from your website, hopefully from my website too, then they can almost ask.

Like you've taught your GP. She will have learned about that. Yeah, yeah. And that'll be able to help other people as well. So I think it should be available. It's dirty, it's £4 a month in the NHS. Yeah, it's not expensive. That's what I mean because sometimes, I'm glad you said that,

because sometimes when I do keep saying, I think, God, I hope I'm not making the NHS plashing before. Okay, that's good. If you look at the investment for the future, you know, taking HRT reduces the risk of heart disease. 45% of women die from heart disease. Yeah, no, I know. So it's looking long term while you're taking it is really important.

So we've covered this report, a lot, but we could tell all afternoon. But, um, so just before we finish, Meg, I'd just like to go through three take-home tips, really. Yeah. that after women could think about from listening to you today or from going on your website, what would you say? Okay, so three main things. First thing which I think is really important, I think is share with your family.

Totally. 100%. It will have your kids, your teenagers, you know, your husband, your partner, your girlfriend, who, everyone in the household. So from you're being erratic or crying or angry or anything that affects everyone in your household or, you know, I would share it with their. I think that's the most important. Secondly, if you have an inkling of any symptoms,

because there's 34, you know, anything from just your sleep is erratic or you do feel a bit angry, get on to Louise's website or my website where there's the nice guide. Louise also has a guide and look at those symptoms. And if you can tick five or more, I would then get to your GP, ASAP. Don't worry, if you're 41, you're 42, you're 46, you're 51, 53 this will all help you with your your life style your life with absolutely everything and the third one i would just say um self-love yeah meditation take time out for yourself really do menopause women

things do come overwhelming i've found everything from driving so i think a lot of self-love and don't try and be the martyr in the family really that's so important isn't it and it's looking after ourselves because I even say to the team that I work with here, we've got to look after ourselves. No one really cares about it. They do care, but not to the extent. So we have to put ourselves a bit higher up. Yeah, because we don't. We just taught like, you know, women being in the kitchen, doing the cooking, looking after children, da, da, da, da. You know, it's the old day when, you know, you see some women that wouldn't even sit down and have dinner, we'll all tea with the family. You know, they would be eating and then they'd be doing the ironing.

And, you know, and I just think we were sort of made to feel that self-love was a bit selfish and you know it wasn't but it's i think it's really important excellent thank you thank you thank you very much meg thank you for more information about the menopause please visit our website www. wwwmenopause doctor.com.ukho.uket.