Norfolk campaigner calls for more awareness of perimenopause
Emily Barclay, who founded the Perimenopause Hub, told us many women feel alone due to a lack of 'common knowledge'
Last updated 9th Jul 2024
A Norfolk campaigner is calling for more support for the new government to provide more support for women struggling with the perimenopause.
Emily Barclay, who founded the online Perimenopause Hub, spoke to Greatest Hits Radio after her own Facebook community reached 100,000 followers.
According to the NHS website, the perimenopause occurs when women being experiencing symptoms of the menopause before their periods stop.
These symptoms include changes to a person's mood, including low self-esteem and mood swings, hot flushes and difficulty sleeping.
Current system for diagnosis is 'disjointed'
Ms Barclay told us she originally set up her online group to bring experts and people struggling with the perimenopause together so that they "do not feel alone."
She said people realise they are no longer alone once they have joined the group.
"I don't think many people really know that there's reverse puberty leading up to it menopause."
She told us the current system for diagnosing women with perimenopause is "very disjointed."
"It's very much, 'oh, you've talked about anxiety first, let's look at that, now you've talked about changing body shape, we'll look at that'".
Ms Barclay told us the next government should increase public awareness of the perimenopause, which she believes could reduce the number of GP visits.
"I 'wasted' a lot of NHS resource by going back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth, and knowing why I felt different to how I used to feel."
She added awareness of the perimenopause should be "common knowledge" like with teenagers hitting puberty.
The Department for Health and Social Care has been contacted for comment.