The Perimenopause, is it like the menopause but different? 

Many people know about the menopause and all the issues that can surround it, whether it be hot flushes, memory loss, weight gain, lack of energy or much more, it gets plenty of coverage and attention. A previous blog talked about my own experience. But are you aware of the perimenopause? That period of time prior to the menopause where many women experience a whole raft of symptoms whilst sometimes still experiencing relatively regular periods. It seems that for many women and for a lot of health professionals, the awareness is not what it should be.

One lady, Emily Barclay from Norfolk, is on a mission to support women though this time of their lives and raise awareness for of it. I first met Emily via a ladies business networking group, she is one of those people that instantly gets involved, no sitting on the side lines. Full of energy and enthusiasm, she has single-handedly created the Perimenopause Hub, bringing together a wealth of knowledge, experience and education by finding many experts and authorities to provide information and support. 

Emily is currently planning a Perimenopause Hub Summit for March this year, an opportunity for women to discover more and see what support is available to them. The chance to gain insight and knowledge on how best to deal with what comes with the situation and how to make the best of it in their life. 

I recently caught up with Emily to find out more about her and all about the Hub. Please do take a look at her site, she has collected so many experts and sources of information together in one place, that it is hard to think of something that she hasn't provided. Read on and discover more about this lady on a mission to support perimenopause women everywhere.

Hi, I’m Emily,

 A perimenopausal woman who has spent too long trying to get answers. I decided that if I was struggling, then so would women like you, and that I could bring together experts to help us all find our best route through this life stage.

 

Tell me a bit about you, your background, what you do for a living.

I am a dog walker and a personal trainer. I have had my dog walking business since 2012 and retrained as a PT in 2016. I set up perimenopausehub.com in 2019.

I know the Perimenopause Hub is something that is very important to you. How did it come about?

Since the age of 39 I had been going back and forth to the Doctor with symptoms including fatigue, unexplained weight gain, crazy mood swings, uncontrollable sobbing, and irregular periods (sometimes after just 3 weeks for a couple of days, sometimes bleeding for 3 weeks). The very first Doctor suggested menopause, but as I was only 39 and still had periods, I dismissed the idea. It took 4 years before another Doctor and I agreed it could be perimenopause (which I had discovered was a thing by that point).

In a nutshell, what is the Perimenopause Hub?

It is a website bringing together perimenopause/menopause experts from across the world, offering advice, help and support to all women experiencing this life phase. Women are encouraged to work with any of the experts who seem the right fit for them and their outlook on life.

 

 

What is your future vision for the Hub?

World domination!!!!! No, seriously, I want all women to understand that this is a natural life stage and that they will come out the other side, not the same as they were in their 20s, but stronger and ready for the rest of their life. I also ultimately want to start educating younger women about the power of their monthly cycle, so they are forearmed when it starts to change.

I think more needs to be talked about in regard to perimenopause – at the moment most women know they will have periods and that one day when they’re in their 50s they’ll stop, around which time they’ll probably have a few hot flushes. And yet perimenopause can last up to 12 years and is often the time when women have the worst symptoms. Frustratingly, even Drs don’t know much about this – menopause is barely covered at medical school (even by gynaecology students …!)

If women take away one thing from it, what would you hope that would be?

Your best time in life is just coming.

The whole issue of the perimenopause and menopause is a massive area, women have to find a way to utilise what works best for them. Can the Hub help women coming at it from all angles such as those that would rather follow a more natural path than an orthodox medicine route?

Absolutely. This is why we have such a range of experts. There are the medical experts but also mindset, hypnotherapy, yoga, health coaches and so on.

You have gathered a superb and wide-ranging group of experts to support the Hub, tell me about some of them and how they can support women.

For example, we have Lorraine Miano who is a Menopause Coach from North Carolina. She has a book called The Magic of the Menopause, and she is the absolute embodiment of how amazing our lives can be after all this malarkey is over and done with.

Then there is Claire Doherty who is a Medical Intuitive from the UK. She looks at the whole person and helps people identify WHY they are experiencing symptoms, which in turn can help them address unresolved issues.

You are running your conference on March 20^th, 21^st, 22^nd. This sounds incredibly exciting and looks like a great opportunity for women to engage with some life changing and life enhancing content. Tell me more …

This is going to be epic! Over the 3 days there will be 20+ expert speakers, many who are Hub experts but some who are simply experts in their field. There are two types of tickets available: watch live and lifetime access.

How can anyone sign up or join in with the conference?

Tickets are available here https://buytickets.at/perimenopausehub/343388

 

What do you get for signing up?

For those who buy Watch Live tickets (£10 on early bird pricing, then £15) they will have a login that enables them to watch the summit as it is broadcast live. For those who purchase Lifetime Access (£35 early bird, £50 full price) they will have a login to be able to rewatch the interviews time and time again.

Will partners and families of women experiencing the perimenopause learn anything from visiting the Hub?

Definitely!

You have a Facebook Group to run alongside the Hub, how does that work and how can women join?

Just search Perimenopause Hub on FB [links at the bottom of the page] and you’ll find us. It’s a super supportive group, and we try to keep things quite light-hearted – each evening during the week we talk about a specific symptom, and then at the weekend it’s things like GIF night, or share photos of pets, or whatever.

Do you have any support on the Hub that would be useful for anyone within the transgender community or with gender issues that may also be coming to terms with the perimenopause?

There isn’t a specific section as yet, although in the FB group I know of at least one mother to a trans daughter, and we are 100% inclusive of anyone who identifies as female.

You’re a very busy lady, do you ever have time to relax and what do you do if you ever find yourself with time to wind down?

Ha ha! I walk my dogs, I watch TV, I go to the gym, I go to the pub, I hang out with my partner. I try to go skiing once a year, too.

If a Perimenopausal Fairy Godmother could wave her magic wand and grant you one wish for the Perimenopause Hub, what would it be?

That it be the go-to resource for women hitting this stage of life.

 Youcan get in touch with Emily in all these places:

Website: Perimenopause Hub

FB Page: Perimenopause Hub Official

FB Group: Perimenopause Hub

Twitter: @perimenohub

Instagram: @perimenopausehub

Survey: Take the Perimenopause Survey

LinkedIn: Emily Barclay

 

I really wish Emily every success with her conference and the Perimenopause Hub, there is such a wealth of information on the site, it genuinely is a hub of resources. Please do take a look, you might just find the answers or at least some pointers to the help you need or maybe to explain why someone you care about is not quite themselves. Thank you to Emily for taking the time to answer my questions.

If you are affected by the perimenopause either yourself or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms and could do with a great resource, please take a look at the site or sign up to the conference. It could make a real difference.