This article is worth a read by @MenoScandal in @thetimes talking about the recent news that @Tesco is trialling special “menopause-friendly” aisles in its stores. Kate covers so many important points, including the one I have pulled out here. ‘Menowashing’ is becoming increasingly popular and it’s a massive problem. Not only is it exploiting women, it underplays the impact menopause can have on someone’s life and ignores the fact we have an evidence-based treatment already available that has various future health benefits too. The first line evidence based treatment for the majority of menopausal women is HRT yet only the minority (5%) globally are prescribed it. So much has to change. You can read the article here: thetimes.co.uk/article/1012f…

When I had symptoms seven years ago, I would have done anything to have kept my job, to have kept my husband, to keep functioning. And so I can see why women are like, ‘Oh my God, give me anything.’ It's so degrading for women, thinking we put a cream on our face or eat a certain chocolate and just because it's labelled ‘menopause’, it's going to help all our other symptoms. I talk more about the problems with 'menowashing' in this article with @vfoodsinsights: vitafoodsinsights.com/womens…

This is so important. Far too many women I talk to are offered antidepressants for their low mood associated with their perimenopause and menopause yet are not offered hormones which treats the underlying cause. HRT has more health benefits than SSRIs for most women too…

The majority of women will experience symptoms during their menopause, which can affect both their home and work lives. The symptom you may hear about most is hot flushes, but this is a bit misleading because actually women can experience symptoms all over their body - and not just physical symptoms, psychological symptoms too. The severity of symptoms varies tremendously between women. Some will only experience them for a few months, others can continue to suffer for years, or even decades. But it’s important all women are supported with accurate and up to date information, and can also access HRT to help relieve symptoms if that is what they want.