The Dr Louise Newson Podcast - 70 – How perimenopause can really impact you and your partner

Episode Date: May 28, 2026

What happens when women finally realise they’re not “going crazy”, but experiencing hormonal changes?In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by comedian and content creator Matt Hyams, whose viral social media videos about perimenopause have resonated with millions of women around the world. Together, they discuss the reality of living throughperimenopause, why so many women feel dismissed or misunderstood and the impact hormonal changes can have on mood, relationships, confidence and mental health.Matt shares how his humorous videos unexpectedly became a source of validation for women who finally felt seen and understood. Louise also explains why fluctuating hormones can affect the brain, why symptoms are so often missed by healthcare professionals and how the right treatment can be life-changing.We hope you love the podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please make sure to follow us, leave a 5-star rating and share it with someone who might find it helpful.LET'S CONNECTSubscribe here 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@menopause_doctorWebsite 👉 https://www.drlouisenewson.co.uk/Instagram 👉   / @drlouisenewsonpodcastLinkedIn 👉     / https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlouisenewson/TikTok 👉   / https://www.tiktok.com/@drlouisenewsonSpotify 👉 https://open.spotify.com/show/7dCctfyI9bODGDaFnjfKhgLEARN MOREDownload my balance app 👉https://www.balance-menopause.com/balance-app/Get tickets for my new theatre tour, Breaking the Cycle 👉https://www.nlp-ltd.com/dr-louise-newson-breaking-the-cycle/Pre order my new book 👉https://bio.to/ThePowerofHormones

So Matt, you're on my podcast and I'm very excited to talk to you because my husband introduced me to you actually. He was scrolling through Instagram as you do in a very romantic way in the evening. And it was the one about being an entrepreneur and having loads of emails. And it's like, oh, don't disturb me. I've got the same email and this email that. And he was showing it with my family and going, this is your mother. And it was quite funny. And so, yeah, and it was a great little video.

and it is how I work because I have lots of things going on. My mission is to improve the global health of women and there are lots of women. And so I'm very busy. But then once I started looking at your account then suddenly you're wearing a wig and you're being a perimenopause or women and it's just the most amazing thing

and you have so much engagement. So I'm really keen to talk to you about why are you doing this and what the response has been? And like just tell me a bit about it. Don't you? Okay, well, I'm a comedian first. Yeah. Well, I'm a husband first, I suppose. But, uh... Yeah, well done. But, right answer. Um, you guys are a comedian, though, they're always going to make themselves comic first. So, so my main thing is, I've just been trying to be a comedy writer, comedian for years, and I've tried a lot of different things. And, um, so I write scripts. I do

stand up also. And, and I also love social media. And, um, I love the immediacy of it. And I love making videos and I've made a lot of different kinds of videos over the years. Actually, I made that entrepreneur video a couple of years ago. Okay. And on December 23rd, because I like try a lot of different things on Instagram, like what we'll see what we'll hit. And it's been a long road, to be honest with you. So on December 23rd, I made a video that was like tips for men whose wives are going through perimenopods. It was like, don't chew as much, don't be around as much. I was just kind of like trying to be funny. And I didn't really think much of the video.

Like I was just like, you just try to be like, oh, I haven't made a video in a while. I got to stay alive. I got to do something to feel creative, be funny. So I made that video and that blew up. And then I was like, I'll follow it up with a how to say happy New Year's to your perimenopausal wife. And then that blew up. And I was like, if everyone loves the wife stuff, I'm going to repost the entrepreneur one

and this one where I'm being my wife in the drive, in the passenger seat in the car, because she's a huge backseat driver. It's very annoying. And then those blew up. And then I was like, all right, I'm just going to keep the wig on and be my wife and keep going with this with perimenopause and entrepreneur and mental load. And that's what happened. And now, and then this, I started growing and all these women were coming out of the woodwork being like, she is us, we are her. Like it was like an I am Spartacus moment.

And like, I was like, and they were like, you see me. I feel validated and I was like, okay, you know, and I love it. And I get like really nice messages from women and men. And men, they're like, I show your video to my husband and now he understands me more. And, but my main thing was like to be funny. I wasn't trying to become like the king of perimenopause, you know. And but I'll wear that crown if I have to. Oh, I'm really happy about it.

I'm really happy that people are getting something out of it and they think it's funny. and my wife loves it. I show them to her before I post. Oh, do you? Yeah. Oh, yeah, you're cool with this. She's cool with it. She loves seeing the success of it.

She gives me, she helps me, gives me ideas sometimes. So that's basically, I'm a comedian first, and then, and this is something that hit, and this has now become my lane, and I'm sticking with it. It's great, isn't it? Yeah, I love it. Yeah, it's very interesting because I've written a few books, and my first book on Menopause, was probably about six years ago. And it was Penguin that was my publisher,

and I wanted to have perimenopause on the cover. So not just menopause. And they said, no, it's too long a word. You can't do it. No one uses that word. And I said, well, if you want to publish my book, you have the word perimenopause on. And it's really interesting because a lot of people still don't know

what it is or what's going on. Menopause has always been about stopping periods and hot flushes. Whereas actually, the perimenopause, the lead up to the menopause is often far worse for women because you get these real shifts and changes in hormone levels and the biggest symptoms are the most commonest and most severe symptoms are those affecting the brain and mental health. And so so many women have been misunderstood for decades

because they have been misdiagnosed with anxiety and depression and it's all in your head and it can't be your hormones because you're still having your periods. So it's so interesting because I feel very strongly that women are really intuitive and actually give them the information they can work it out themselves. But often they haven't had the information. So what you're doing is completely just validating them, that you're allowing them to be hurt and understood, which perhaps they haven't been before. Well, you know, I've always thought of myself as a healer and I'm just kidding. I love that.

Yeah, like I, um, good to be doing something that's funny and doing something helpful that is beneficial to people. Like I didn't go into comedy to be any kind of like, you know, validation, source of validation for any gender. But I, uh, but now that it's happening, I'm really into it and I really like it. And I like it, it feels doubly good. It feels good to get a laugh and then it feels doubly good for it to have this like positive effect, you know. And one thing I'll say also is that I didn't even realize until my wife was going through this that I think what most people think about like perimenopause is actually most of the period that it feels like a woman is in like the menopause is what like when the period ends. I'm using period in two different ways, but like a period era and then period your period.

And then like but like menopause, correct me if I'm wrong, is like when your period stops and maybe for like a year after. Well, this is what's interesting actually because it's officially when people have been a year since their last period. but it's just bullshit, excuse my language, because why should we be defined by our periods? And a lot of women, if they've had, for example, a hysterectomy, they're never going to have periods, so you can't work it out. So it's really related to our hormone levels being low and they stay low forever. So actually, a woman is menopausal forever.

And a lot of people think it's just a transition and then you come out the other side. And as you know, one of the things I'm very interested in is the protective roles of our hormones and our body. So even if people don't have symptoms, they have health risks of not having those hormones because they're very anti-inflammatory in their body. And often when our hormone levels stabilise, you know, whether they're stable low or stable high and pregnancy or stable sort of middle of the road, people often don't get symptoms

because the body sort of acclimatized is really. It's a bit like if you're hungry, initially your brain is like on overdrive telling you how hungry you are and after a while it just accommodates and it just sort of adapts. And it's the same as menopause actually. The body can adapt but it will often be in a different level than a different gear and obviously there's more inflammation. But in perimenopause hormone levels, especially eustodal, but also testosterone and progesterone really do fluctuate and it's a bit similar to women before they have their periods.

They can get real changes in their hormone levels just before their periods. So those symptoms are the same because of the changing. hormone levels. Yeah. I imagine it must be like a lot of, before this was gaining more such awareness, I bet there's like a lot of like divorce and like, you know, marriage conflict and everything without the understanding. Like I could imagine that husbands are like, my wife's crazy.

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the problem is, you know, it's really sad because the divorce rate increases in the 40s. But we know that a lot of couples, I see so many couples who have just, their relationships falling apart. And it's not because they don't love each other. They just can't tolerate each other in the same way and they don't realise what's going on.

And, you know, I was Perry Manor-Pawsad about 11 years ago and, you know, just looking at the way my husband ate food and listening to him breathing was just the most frustrating thing ever. It's really hard to explain. I had an argument once and I've got three daughters and we're really close. I've known my husband since I was 18. But we were having breakfast.

morning at a hotel and another surgeon came over to talk to him. And they just had a nice chat and then he left and I said to Paul, who's this guy? And he went, well, you've met him before. Why were you rude? Why didn't you talk to him? I said, because you'd never introduce me. He said, no, well, you've met him recently. I said, well, I don't remember.

So rather than leaving it like that, I just went on and on and on at him. And he said, let's move away from the restaurant because you're making a bit of a scene here. And there was a staircase going up to the bedroom. And I was still on the staircase shouting up at him. I should go on and my children were in front of me. Like it was just the weirdest thing. I'm not really a shouty person. But I just remember it so vividly.

And it was like I had this demon in my head saying it's fine. You carry on shouting because he's awful. And you don't need him and you're fine. And if he had said to me, right, Louise, I'm leaving you. I would have gone good. Just go because I really had enough. Like, it's just ridiculous. And even my children, one of them says she was so scared because she'd never heard me

shout at before and was saying, oh, I'm thinking to herself, oh gosh, I think my daddy going to divorce and what am I going to do? Because I don't want to stay with her. because she's being really horrible, but daddy can't cook and he's like, what should I do? And they're really young. And it does make me realize, like, the impact of that is really hard for both sexes, really, in different ways. Yeah, without the awareness of what's going on. I mean, I've had, like, it was like a year or so ago.

It was winter. It was around holiday time. And, like, my wife was like, I don't know, she was pissed off at me about something. And she gave me this. I thought I was getting divorced. He was like, I don't feel appreciated. I don't feel taken care of.

She's like, I'm done. You don't like think about me like, you know, this whole tirade and I felt like shit. And I was like, wow. And she's like,

you know, she's like, I don't know. She kind of left the conversation. Like, I don't know. Like, like,

it's in your hands now, you know? And I was like, I don't even know what to do. Like, I don't even, I'm not really sure like where this came from. And like,

I mean, I could kind of like, you know, I kind of know. I mean like it's I wasn't she's speaking English so I'm hearing all the words but like but and then I was like so I don't know like a month later I said or did something in the way along the lines of like what I thought she had been talking about in that conversation I was like you know because I was trying to do this because of the conversation we had and she was like what conversation it's like the one where you were on the verge of leaving me you know remember that one just like oh I don't know well anyway you know so it was like It was like conversations like that and like we're and yeah so she can get like really pissed off and then like it's like a spell like kind of like how you were describing you know and and it's wonderful you know it's great. I'm just happy to be here. You know, part of everything. I'm happy she's still with me. But the awareness helps because you know periods men get used to if you're within a relationship. Oh, it's that time of the month. I can see like it's happening again or whatever. But with the parents. menopause, you're like, it's not the time of the month, so like, what's going on, you know? And then you just, you feel crazy. And I have to go to another room to eat cereal also. I'm not allowed to

eat in the same room with her. And so, and sometimes I'm just like, like, I was taking a picture of our floor, our bathroom floor. And I was like, oh, she's like, what are you doing? I was like, I'm just taking some pictures of the form to upload. I want to upload it the chat. GapT to see if they know how it can be fixed. And she's like, why are you doing that? And I was like, why can't I do it? You know, like, I'm not like hiring him. I'm not spending any money. I'm just literally like seeing if it has any ideas

and how to fix it. And it's like those moments when I'm like, that's also perimenopal where she's just annoyed with me with whatever I'm doing. It has no effect on her or our life, but something about what I'm doing is horrible. Yeah, it's triggering.

Yeah. And I think, you know, it's really difficult for partners. And, you know, partners of any gender because I have quite a lot of patients who are in the same-sex relationships. And, you know, they're both of them are perimenopausal. And their moods are really going. I've been wondering about that, too.

I wrote in my notes that I keep like comedy ideas. I was like, how do, you know, same-sex partners deal with this? That would be insane. Well, they have different. Often people have, everyone's experience is different. So the symptoms can be different. And, you know, they, it can be really difficult. I've had some patients who you've just treated one of them and they feel,

really well and then the other one maybe is a bit younger or different and then starts, but then they can recognize it a lot quicker. But it's very difficult and it's been very disconcerting because it's also very hard to tease out. You know, is it because, you know, I've been with my husband for decades? Is it because of that? Or is it because of poems? Or is it something else? And if you've got children, then how do you know what's going on? Because lives are busy and everything. But one of my big issues is that women have often been gaslit and told, oh, you're like this. Because, you're stressed because you've got three children, because you're working full time, because, because

they never say that to my husband. And it's like, hang on, I've always caved with having three children and a busy job. So something else has changed. And then I think if people realize that it could be a hormonal imbalance, the next thing is thinking about what can I do about the imbalance, because women shouldn't be suffering and neither should the men who are watching them suffer, really. So that's the biggest problem is that the majority of women who are perimenopause, of us still not able to access evidence-based treatment, which is just wrong. So there's all this

needless suffering that's going on and women have to work it out for themselves. I know. It stinks. Although it's starting, it seemingly, I mean, I'm not the only account I've seen talk about perimenopause on Instagram. So it seems like it's getting more awareness now, which is good. I imagine it's even like doubly difficult if you are the spouse who's not going through perimenopause, then if your partner's like, I'm really pissed off at you and it's not my period. And I'm not, it's not perimenopause. It's actually just you. Like, like, then you start to be like, I hope it, I hope it is, you start to pray like, maybe this is just peri metapause that she actually doesn't hate me, you know. Yeah. But yeah, I mean, I see, I see it happening more, which is good.

I mean, I didn't know about it until my wife was going through it. I'd never heard of the word, I heard a metapause. I never heard the word pari metapause. No, no. A lot of people don't. But it is interesting because it can work both ways in relationships. I remember many years ago, a lady came back to me and she said, I'd like to thank you because I've now divorced my husband and I was like, oh dear, what have I done? She said, when I suddenly started to feel so much better on my hormones, I had a real solid look at myself and thought, what am I doing with this person that I actually haven't enjoyed been with for the last five years? But I didn't have the energy, I didn't have the space, I didn't have the motivation to leave him. And now I have because I feel better. And I realized, you know,

she was only in her mid-40s. She'd realize I've got a whole whole. you know, hopefully next chapter ahead of me. And I felt really guilty as a doctor that I'd sort of split out the relationship in a weird way. But I've known her for many years now and she's had this new lease of life. But I just think that's actually something that's, you know, can be a positive thing as well. And it's interesting. That's like a thank you menopause, like PSA or something, you know. Yeah, yeah.

Thank you. Most people think they're like going to lose out on life. I got my life back because of it. Yeah. Well, hopefully that won't be my story. No. No, I don't think so. Yeah, it's rush out there. So what are the symptoms or what are the things that you've learned about perimenopoles

that have surprised you the most with what you're doing and the feedback that you're guessing? I mean, I only have the experience, my direct experience with my partner, my life. But just the feedback on. media for a moment. Oh, the feedback on social media has just been, I got one negative response. I had an interview in People Magazine online, people online, and there's like one comment on it. Or maybe there's like three, but like the first one was, what a self-righteous jerk. And I was like, oh, okay.

So, and if I had gotten hundreds of those, I would start to take a look at myself and be like, what am I doing? But it's the only one, thank God. But most of them I get comments and comments on the videos that are like, I look forward to these. I can't wait for the other one. This is me. You understand us. She is her. Oh, my God.

One of the things my wife says is our coffee smells like tuna fish. It's like some weird perimenopausal smell thing. Other people were like my coffee smells like tuna fish. Oh my God, the smells. I made one in peri menopausal spiky sense of smell because I think her smell is like, scent of smells is insane she's like there's like running water somewhere in the house you know it sounds like oh they should like work with the police to like solve crimes or something and um and all women are like that's me i'm having oh my god i thought i was going some of them like i i thought

i was going crazy you know but no now i realize like oh it's maybe part of this some women are like i'm not going through perimenopause but i'm also experiencing this um but it's been a lot of like positive validation feeling seen um that kind of thing And then, you know, like thinking it's funny also, which is always good. Yeah, it's a great balance because I don't feel that you're making fun of women, but you are enabling them to think and understand. And like you say, feel validated. And I've written a chapter in my new book about women who aren't being listened to.

And that's the biggest problem, actually, I think, in healthcare, in that patients, but especially women, are not believed and not listened to and not understood. And as a doctor, you almost have a tip box of symptoms. And if, you know, you get enough ticks, then they've got this diagnosis. If they've got some other symptoms, you've got that diagnosis. And for so many of us, we haven't had really good training in hormones and perimenopause. And so, you know, if I was a neurologist and someone came to me with tinnitus ringing in the ears and maybe some, let you say, some smell changes, I'd be trying to work out the pathways in the brain.

do a scan and work out if there was, you know, a tumour or something going on that was causing. And if the scan was normal, I would say a patient, when it's normal, you're normal. And they would go, well, no, I'm so having these symptoms. If I was a cardiologist and someone had palpitations, I would just focus on the heart. And you can see it, you know, medicine's very siloed. So actually, to have someone that can explain the reason for those symptoms is incredibly validating because otherwise you do almost drive yourself mad thinking maybe I am making up. You know, like, why would I make up that my coffee smells a tuna fish? You know what I mean? But if you're the only person thinking that, then it's like, okay, well, maybe it's just maybe a bit weird.

But you're validating and allowing other people to go, oh gosh. And then, you know, we know that our hormones, progesterone, and testosterone, and testosterone work everywhere. So they affect the pathways from our nose to our factory centre, which is what determines the way we smell. And those pathways are disturbed. if you don't have hormones or you have fluctuating hormones. So we know why it happens. And often people, when they have the right dose and type of hormones, those symptoms really, really improve. But the first thing about any diagnosis is making it.

And if people aren't looking at the bigger picture or doctors aren't, then women are just being dismissed, left, right and center. Yeah, it stinks. It's terrible. I feel bad. I think even with the awareness, there's clearly still, like, app because I think that I probably wouldn't be getting as much attention if it was more mainstream. You know, I think women are coming like when they see the videos, they're like,

oh, I'm not crazy. And even though I knew about perimenopause, this is even, it drives at home. They're like, I feel much better now. So I think you're right. Like it's like all the more awareness that we can get is possible. I mean, it's good. I mean, it's great. One of the things I know it sounds weird as a doctor is I actually don't like to prescribe drugs that are unnecessary to people. And, you know, one in three perimenopoles are women, especially in the US, are taking antidepressants for their hormonal imbalance, which is just ridiculous, actually, when you think about it. Right. That's often because of the anxiety and their low mood and people have misdiagnosed them with clinical depression and forgotten about the role of hormones in the brain. That's depressing.

Yeah, it's depressing. Yeah. So a lot of people are being, medical. and they've not had the knowledge to almost question and push back. And I feel, especially over the last year or two, women have become more empowered. So then they can make choices that are right for them. And a lot of my work is just imparting my knowledge so people can make those choices. But I think when they have this light bulb moment almost like me shouting at my husband isn't because I hate him. It's because, you know, the hormones are changing in my brain. And, and, in my brain.

And, you know, just this weird behavior. It's just different. And then they can join the dots and then hopefully say to their doctor or health care professional, look, I'm getting X, Y, Z symptoms. I feel there my hormones. Please can I talk to you about hormones. Whereas before, people would just literally talk about one symptom and then the doctor would compartmentalize it into one diagnosis. And that's when often they were given the wrong treatment.

I was going to say it feels lazy, but I suppose they're just working with whatever they know. Well, this is a thing. And I've done the same for many years as a family physician, you know, someone would come maybe with a urinary tract infection and I'd go, okay, you've got an infection, have some antivotic. I wouldn't then say, oh, you're having any palpitations. What's your mood like? What's her sleep like? And that's why we've developed a symptom questionnaire, which people can fill out and then work it out themselves. Because, you know, then they can say, well, actually, I'm having these urinary symptoms, but I'm also having mood changes and I can't sleep.

Whatever. And I think it's my hormones because my period's a bit all over the place. And then, you know, as a doctor, you want your patients to help you. Do you know what I mean? Right. It's so much more productive. Yeah, totally. Especially if you're limited, you know, I used to only have 10-minute consultations.

So you would focus very much on the problem that the patient came with you. Where when the patients are more empowered, you can start in a very different level. And I'm hoping, you know, that's with all your work, that it's just so brilliant, that women are then going back and thinking, right, okay, I've worked out that it's not me going mad. So what am I going to do about it? Because the suffering is immense. Like it's just awful for women where they have symptoms for years and years. It's awful.

Well, my goal is that someone, a woman can walk into a doctor's office and just be like, show her my video. You know, this is how I feel. Yeah. Do you find, like, is there pushback from male doctors about all this in London? I don't know how if you speak to doctors around the world. little bit or just in your city. Do you find that they're less accepting of these beliefs? It's interesting actually.

I think male doctors, this is a generalization, are more accepting than a lot of female doctors. There's a lot of female doctors that are my age, you know, I'm 55, but they're my age and older, and they've never had a problem. They've never had a symptom. So they just think it's all just ridiculous. And quite a few doctors now have said to our patients,

Or menopause is just a fad. Perimenopause is just a media term or it's just a new fashion. Buzzword, yeah. And it's almost like because they didn't have a problem. It's like because they didn't have a problem, they don't think it's an issue. And I think that's a very dangerous place to be as a doctor. You know, I've never had psychosis, but does that mean I can't treat people who've had a psychotic episode or somebody who's. Sort of like empathy 101.

Yeah. Yeah, so there's this sort of willful ignorance and blindness that goes on, which I think is really not very validating for women. And there's this misunderstanding so much about menopause and hormone treatment is just, you know, a sort of a celebrity drug that people take rather than something that actually can really transform the quality of life and improve their future health as well. And, you know, we know from many studies that women who take hormones live longer, which is huge. And they have less osteoporosis, they have less heart disease. Like it's massive. But it's somehow, if doctors don't know it, they don't tell their patients and then they're dismissing them. You know, we have lots of patients that are told you're too young to have symptoms.

It can't be your hormones. And like, no one's too young. My youngest patient was 12 when she became menopausal because her ovaries didn't develop properly. Yeah, I know. Yeah. So can you imagine being perimenopausal at school and no one being able to pick it up, you know? That's crazy. What's that called? Yeah. Well, she had these things, she had streak ovaries.

So like the tiny ovaries that didn't develop. So they weren't producing hormones. And then I had another patient who was 14. She had a cyst removed from her ovaries. And then a year later, another cyst, but they essentially removed most of her ovaries. So she's sitting in class, like not being able to concentrate, not having a clue what's going on. And who do you talk to, you know? So it took both of those people 10 years for diagnosis and then another 10 years for the right treatment. It's awful. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, you know, and then people think we can exercise our way out of metaphors or we can, you know, do some mindfulness or whatever. And, you know, it's a hormone deficiency. You wouldn't do that. If someone had an underactive thyroid gland, you wouldn't say, okay, just go for a walk in the woods and do a bit of challenges. You'll be fine. Another glass of water. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, yeah. You go through a lot in this life.

Yeah, we do and it's so unnecessary. Unbelievable. It's just too much. Yeah, and it's not even, you know, you're going to have to branch out. I'll have to mention you a bit because there's a lot of women with PMDD premenstrual dysphoria disorder and PMS where, you know, they have essentially perimenopause just for a few days before each period. So their mood drops, they become more anxious, they can come more irritable.

And then their period comes and they feel fine. But again, it's the same cause. It's a hormonal change. And that's been normalized. Like for women, we're told, oh, well, you will feel a bit crap a few days before your periods. But when I see women like that, I'll often give them some hormones, usually just some progester in for a few days. And then they feel the same every day of the month, which is incredibly important. Because if you're getting a symptom on those days where you've got a big, I don't know, assignment at work or you're at school and you're doing a big exam.

Or, you know, like, you wouldn't say to a man, oh, three days a month, you're just going to feel a bit shit and you might not go to the gym and you're, won't be able to sleep and you'll argue with your partner. Men would go, what? Or is there a treatment? Can I do anything? If any of this happen to men, it would be solved. Yeah, of course it would. But we've got a solution.

It's just can't be accessed. That's what's really frustrating. Well, at least you get, you know, a solid week or a few days a month where everything's fine. It's great. You shouldn't complain, you know? You're not looking on the bright. We're so lucky. There's a solid two or three days when everybody's good.

And I think that's a good place to be. So, yeah, well, it's great. It's brilliant. And I'm looking forward to seeing how your content progresses and empowers people. Yeah, me too. It's brilliant. So before we end, I always ask for three take-home tips, actually. Three things I'm going to ask you that have surprised you the most about the work that you do.

What are the three things that you were really surprised about that you didn't? know before. With making these videos. Just, yeah, in general, yeah. In general. I think the validation was a big surprise. The community that was developing and the I am her, she is us. I love your wife.

All this. That wasn't unanticipated. That was unanticipated. Three other surprises. I think, I mean, it's sort of an offshoot of that one, but just how popular. or the topic is, you know, how much it blew up. Like, as a, as someone who's been trying to be creative in a lot of different ways over the years,

you know, with stand-up clips and other comedy ideas that I make into social media videos and scripts, like, and that didn't take off, you know, that there was this sort of ready audience, like a rabid-perry menopausal audience, like waiting unknowingly, perhaps, for these videos. So that was a surprise. It's just like the audience that's out there

that wanted this content. And that it would be, and these are all sort of like subsets in the first one. And that this would be where my success comes from. You know, like that I thought I would be like a, and I may still be, you know, TV comedy, right? I just had such an idea, a different idea of like how I would become successful, you know.

You know, I had dreams of like being a successful stand up and this may get parlayed into like some kind of successful touring show as my, I don't know in what way it'll be and what incarnation, but like, you know, I thought I was going to be like a like an original like edgy comic stand up or, um, or some like innovative like TV writer or something. And it's like, no, I'm going to be the voice of very menopause. It turns out. You know, so that was a big surprise. I think because I think I'm going to stay in the sling for a while. I think this is where my success is happening. I think this is like, and I like it. And I like it. And, And it feels fun and I like the response.

So I think that's just a personal surprise is like where my life is heading. Well, you know, the more that you can educate people, the more that you can, people resonate with you, the better in my mind. So keep going. It's brilliant. Thank you. I plan to. Yeah. Thank you so much.

Thanks for having me.