Joining Dr Louise on this week’s podcast is Melanie Verwoerd, political analyst, former member of parliament for the South African ANC party under Nelson Mandela, and former South African ambassador to Ireland.

In this episode, Melanie shares her experience of radical hysterectomy, and her shock at just how little information is available to women before their operation. She tells Dr Louise how she is on a mission to close the information gap by chronicling her experiences in a book, Never Waste a Good Hysterectomy, followed by a podcast series of the same name.

Dr Louise also shares her own experience of a having a hysterectomy, and together with Melanie offers advice to women who are preparing for surgery on what to expect.

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In this week’s episode Dr Louise is joined by one of her patients, Lesley Henry, a nurse who lives in Northern Ireland. Lesley shares her experience of menopause, which started before she received a diagnosis of endometrial cancer.

Her treatment for cancer led to a surgical menopause, which she found debilitating. Lesley explains she feared her brain fog and fatigue would prevent her from returning to work and from caring for her mother.

A firm believer in the importance of quality of life, Lesley decided to resume taking HRT. She hopes to help other women who are going through similar experiences and shares the things that have given her the strength to make decision about her treatment and her life:

1. I have a faith. Not everybody will have the same faith as I have, and that's fine, but I think having a faith helps.
2. Be proactive and find support groups. Through Action Cancer I learnt about scar therapy, which has helped, plus I completed a positive living programme to learn how to re-energise and rebuild my life.
3. Be prepared to say goodbye to the old you. She's not coming back and in a way, she needs to go.
4. Trust in yourself and listen to your heart. You are worthwhile and your life matters.

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Menopausal women are the fastest-growing demographic in the UK workforce, yet a 2022 survey by the Fawcett Society found one in ten women leave work due to their menopause symptoms.

This week, Dr Louise is joined by Oonagh Ferson, who researched the experiences of perimenopausal and menopausal women in the workplace as part of her MSc in HR management at Queens University Belfast.

Oonagh shares her research findings and some of the stories of women she interviewed, and with Dr Louise discusses the impact of perimenopause, menopause and other conditions such as PMS and PMDD in the workplace.

Oonagh offers advice on how women can thrive at work, including the three things she believes would make the biggest difference to women in the workplace:

1. A bottom up approach, where employers sit down with women and ask them: what would help you? What can we do?
2. Even though it may be difficult at times, advocate for yourself: be open with your employer to secure the support or adjustments you need
3. Having open discussions, using clear language and avoiding terms like ‘the change’, can help dispel the stigma around menopause

There is a chapter dedicated to menopause and the workplace in Dr Louise’s bestselling book, The Definitive Guide to the Perimenopause and Menopause. Order your copy by clicking here.

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