The Menopause School

31/05/2026

Goodness what a month May has been.
* Lots of webinars and calls delivered with my fabulous community of students.
A new cohort who joined us and are already steaming through the content.
* Preparation and delivery of two inspirational sessions for Dudley Voices for Choice. Across April and May I worked on this project as part of Navigating Our Womanhood Together (NOWT) alongside Birmingham & The Black Country ICB
Our aim is to develop two new easy readers for adults with learning difficulties and disabilities about menstrual cycles and menopause.
* News that NOWT won the Midlands NHS Excellent award for working in partnership, and now we are off to Manchester for the final in June!
* Guest speaker at The Allergy Free from Show - It was such an honour to be speaking to a full audience on the Hormone Health stage. I was blown away by the questions and the queue of people waiting to speak with me. Big thanks to Estelle Keeber for her undying enthusiasm and faith in me, and Rebecca Seal for making it easy for me to shine. It brings me such joy when I can help people fast and effectively realise where they are on the menstrual health timeline, and how to navigate their next best steps with ease.

19/05/2026

I recently watched a webinar by a Menopause Doctor who said that perimenopause was an ill-defined phase 🤔 That's not accurate.
The stages of ovarian aging were mapped out back in 2001 by a global collective to unify terms used in research and by clinicians. It plays a big role in the BMS book that all members receive, so I'm really not sure how it's possible for a BMS registered doctor not to know about the names and classifications of the phases along the timeline.
📌 Late Reproductive (LR) comes before Perimenopause (P) - the symptoms are remarkably similar in both, but cycle variability is different.
➡️ LR cycle length will be approx the same, but there will be subtle changes in flow length.
➡️ P has a cycle length variability of +/- 7 days.
This is why menstrual cycle tracking is so important. Even though symptoms are similar the support options will be slightly different, because the ovaries are doing different things in each pahse.

13/05/2026

NEW WEBINAR: https://academy.themenopauseschool.com/14may2026
If you are a menopause educator or mentor you need to know that the future of menopause care is about to change:
📌 Back in 2012 the SWAN study published this paper - Trajectories of estradiol clustering.
➡️ Last week on 5th May 2026 the IMS finally went public with their recommendations which now includes this work.
The direct quote from theIMS document published in Dec 2025 and the lecture last week is:
▶️ These findings indicate that the onset and peak of severely bothersome menopausal symptoms occurring earlier than described by STRAW+10, and often in the context of relative oestrogen sufficiency.
🔎 Translation: Menopausal symptoms in Late Reproductive and Perimenopause arose despite the fact that oestrogen was NOT deficient/low.

If you are curious to learn more, I am discussing that statement and the fact that the SWAN study revealed four different estradiol trajectories none of which show a deficiency in perimenopause, in a webinar on Thursday 15th May at 6pm.
Save your seat here https://academy.themenopauseschool.com/14may2026

13/05/2026

This is a highlight and a win for NOWT - Navigating our womanhood together to be mentioned in parliament.
I've been so thrilled to be a part of the project since August 2025.
This has been a co-production with grass roots community leaders in a variety of sectors, alongside NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, not just talking about women's health, but taking action and making a real difference.

12/05/2026

I'm still coming down from the high of the Allergy Free From Show at the weekend.
It was a delight to be talking about my favourite subject and a captive audience who wanted to listen.
Huge thanks to everyone who helped me be my best on the day, I appreciate each and everyone of you 😊

12/05/2026

When people say there is a “drop in oestrogen” during perimenopause, they’re usually referring to changes in estradiol levels as the ovaries age. The phrase “drop” suggests a steady or gradual decline. In reality, this doesn’t match what the best longitudinal data shows.
https://academy.themenopauseschool.com/post/The-Myth-of-the-Oestrogen-Drop

12/05/2026

Lunch & Learn: Menopause Feng Shui
Book here ⬇️
https://academy.themenopauseschool.com/lunchandlearnmay15
Menopause can feel very busy.
Advice everywhere. Conflicting information. Too many opinions. Too many tabs open in your brain.
Menopause Feng Shui is a different kind of Lunch & Learn.
A calm space to pause, de-clutter the overwhelm, collect your thoughts, and reconnect. Together we’ll explore:
☯️ Simple ways to better understand your symptoms and signs
☯️ Why understanding where you are changes everything
☯️ How to build a flexible menopause toolkit that works for you
Bring your lunch, your questions, and an open mind.



https://academy.themenopauseschool.com/lunchandlearnmay15

11/05/2026

The conversation around perimenopause is changing.
Link to join - https://academy.themenopauseschool.com/prolevelwebinar

For years, symptoms in late reproductive stage and perimenopause were explained through one simple narrative: declining oestrogen.
But the research tells a far more complex story.

Join us for a live webinar exploring:
🧬 The SWAN 2012 research
🧬 What the data actually showed about estradiol levels
🧬 Why many remain in a state of hormonal sufficiency during perimenopause
🧬 The role of fluctuating ovarian activity and nervous system sensitivity
🧬 What the recent IMS recommendations mean for the future of menopause care and menstrual health education

The IMS statement is clear:
Symptoms in late reproductive stage and perimenopause are not simply explained by oestrogen deficiency. Research showed that around 45% of women had high estradiol levels during this transition.

So what is really driving the signs, symptoms and shifts so many experience?

This webinar explores the biology, the research, and why understanding hormonal rhythm matters more than chasing a deficiency narrative.

07/05/2026

Being a part of NOWT - Navigating our womanhood together has been a joyful experience.
Working with an amazing collective of passionate community organisations has meant we have been able to help more people than working alone 😊

REGIONAL CHAMPIONS | Working in Partnership award

We are incredibly honoured to be attending the NHS Excellence Awards 2026!🌟

Nowt is beyond proud to be named Regional Champions for the Working in Partnership Award. Collaboration and community roots are at the very core of everything we do, so being recognised in this category means the world to us.

Thank you to our amazing organisations and wonderful wider community - you are all the reason why this is all possible. We are so proud to be here representing our region— now let’s see if we can bring the big trophy home! 🙌💙

07/05/2026

Hormones don't create behaviour, but they affect the probability of behaviour.
We know from research that sensitivity to changing s*x hormone patterns across life stages can contribute to certain symptoms — not only within a single cycle, but across the menstrual health timeline, especially during the late reproductive stage and perimenopause.

At the same time, how we perceive and interpret those changes can shape how we respond to ourselves, our bodies, and the world around us.

So it can be helpful to pause and ask:
“Is this feeling coming purely from hormonal change, or is my perception of that change also influencing my experience?” Stop. Breathe. Then ask again.