Diverse menopause experiences
Some individuals experience early menopause (or Premature Ovarian Insufficiency), some enter menopause due to cancer treatments. Trans men can also experience menopause. LGBTQ+ experiences, those of the global majority, and many other lived experiences are often absent from the ‘mainstream menopause’ conversations, so we have tried to amplify those here…
Amy Bennie’s menopause started at just 16. In this episode, she shares her experience of finding out she had POI, and how this has affected her. She now works with The Daisy Network, a charity which supports individuals living with POI.
Gemma Westall had to wait twelve long years for a perimenopause diagnosis - starting HRT at 39 changed her life – within days her brain fog lifted and the persistent UTIs she had struggled with for so many years became a thing of the past. With renewed enthusiasm and energy, she started to question the ‘information gaps’ for those entering perimenopause earlier in life. Any information she could find was aimed directly at menopausal midlifers, which lead her to creating Ageless Menopause Information on Instagram, signposting others to the information she wishes she’d had in her twenties.
Dr Stella Duffy is vocal about diversifying menopause conversations - including hearing from those in post-menopause, queer individuals, and those who are childless-not-by-choice - three groups that are often left out of mainstream menopause representation.
Tate Smith is trans activist, speaker and consultant: his hormone therapy propelled him headlong into an early menopause, something that neither he, nor the medical professionals he saw were prepared for, and a topic that is not really spoken about in the trans community. We discuss the steps that workplaces can take to be more inclusive and how we as individuals can be trans allies.
Karen Arthur is the host of the Menopause Whilst Black podcast, and speaks with great vulnerability about the difficulties she experienced in perimenopause. Now post-menopausal, she is a vocal menopause advocate and the originator of the Wear Your Happy campaign.