10/09/2026
💚 SEPTEMBER IS SU***DE PREVENTION AWARENESS MONTH 💚
With World Su***de Prevention Day taking place on 10 September, I want to open an honest conversation about women’s mental health during perimenopause and menopause.
This subject is deeply personal to me. Having lost my biological dad to su***de, I know first-hand the devastating ripple effect it leaves behind.
Alongside my 30 years of experience in healthcare, that loss is part of why I work in wellness today. I want to create spaces where people can pause, reconnect, speak honestly and feel seen and supported—hopefully long before life reaches a point of crisis.
According to the latest published figures from the Office for National Statistics, women aged 45–49 had the highest su***de rate of any female age group in England and Wales in 2024, at 7.9 deaths per 100,000.
Su***de records don’t include menopausal status, and menopause should never be presented as the sole cause. However, this age group strongly overlaps with the perimenopausal and menopausal years, and evidence suggests this transition may increase vulnerability to mental-health difficulties in some women, and that’s why I’m sharing here - the age demographic of of followers will be at this stage or near to it.
For some women, perimenopause can bring overwhelming anxiety, panic, hopelessness, intrusive thoughts and a frightening sense of no longer recognising themselves.
These feelings are not weakness, they are not attention-seeking and they should never be dismissed as “just hormones.”
Although this post focuses on midlife, suicidal thoughts can affect women and girls of every age. Whatever your age or circumstances, how you are feeling matters and any thoughts of su***de should always be taken seriously.
If you’re struggling, please tell someone. Speak to your GP and explain clearly how you feel. Ask them to consider your mental health alongside possible hormonal changes, and keep asking for support if you don’t feel heard.
Please check in on the strong, capable women around you - the ones looking after everybody else and saying they’re “fine.”
You don’t need the perfect words. Sometimes it is enough to say:
“I’m here. I’m listening. You don’t have to carry this alone.”
Or simply:
“Have you got time for a coffee?”
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to A&E.
☎️ Samaritans - 116 123, free, 24 hours a day
☎️ NHS 111 - select the mental-health option in England
📱 Shout - text SHOUT to 85258 for free, confidential support
Please share this. It might reach a woman who desperately needs to know that support is available and that her life matters.
Let’s change the narrative by starting the conversation.
