What women are really
telling us
These conversations have been kept quiet for far too long. So we asked, and 204 women generously told us the truth about perimenopause and menopause. Here is where the picture stands today.
If you have felt foggy, exhausted and not quite yourself
you are not imagining it, and you are far from alone. The most common experiences women shared with us, as a share of all 204 responses.
The gap that says everything
One of the starkest findings in the whole study is the distance between what women carry at work and the support they can actually reach.
How symptoms show up at work, and why change at work and in our wider culture matters so much.
told us their home relationships have been affected
Again and again, women described something deeper than symptoms, a shift in identity itself. This is exactly why we exist. The emotional weight of this season is real, and it deserves to be met with care, not silence.
“I feel like a stranger in my own body.”
“I used to feel competent and capable. Now I don’t.”
“I feel like I am disappearing. Like I have no purpose or value any more.”
“I’m a hot mess, and then I’m a perimenopause queen.”
The answers were beautifully human
Staying active, staying connected to other women, finding new purpose, good medical support, and time for themselves. Here is what women have leaned on so far.
More than one in five have used no support at all, which tells us how much work there still is to do.
This research only stays true if it keeps growing
If you are moving through perimenopause or menopause, we would love to hear from you. Your story is completely confidential, it takes just a few minutes, and it helps us keep our findings and our support current for every woman who comes after you.
Take the short surveyThis study reflects the experiences women have shared with us and is offered for awareness and support. It is not medical advice or clinical research. If you are struggling, please reach out to your GP or a qualified practitioner.
In their words
The honest, the tender and the fabulous, straight from the women of the study.
I've shrunk. I don't know who I am. I just want to hide.
— age 54
It feels almost like I'm mourning who I used to be.
— age 51
I was driving my usual route home from work, one I've done hundreds of times, and suddenly had no idea where I was. My brain had a complete GPS malfunction.
— age 54
I was just pleased when I heard brain fog was a symptom of menopause, because I'd convinced myself I was in the early stages of dementia.
— age 54
About to present to a room full of executives, my face dripping from a hot flush and no idea of the name of a single person in the room.
— age 52
My manager told me I needed to regain my confidence. That was a massive wake-up call.
— age 43
I love that my BS radar is more finely tuned now, and I'm really not interested in the small stuff anymore.
— age 54
Hormone replacement and staying away from jerks. Lifting heavy weights and telling it like it is.
— age 55
I joined an ocean swimming group, and in it I found a tribe of like-minded, welcoming women.
— age 52
HRT, and my mind is so much clearer. Walking and lifting weights, I feel so much stronger.
— age 54
I'm on a journey to finding my true, authentic self again.
— age 51
I kept dropping the pegs while hanging out the washing, so I stood there and screamed at the pegs.
— age 52