Scarborough women urged to join menopause group to meet others
It's to share emotions, symptoms and stories
Women in Scarborough are being urged to join a group to meet others going through the menopause.
It is to share emotions and symptoms as well as to hear stories of their current experiences.
Helen King set up the 'Menopause Matters' group last year and she says it has grown massively since it first began in Newby and Scalby.
She added: "Just the fact of getting 12 women together in a room that could share their emotions and what they're going through, and know that every woman around that table was understanding with what they were saying, with the tissue boxes flying up and down the table.
"Once one person had broken the mould and shed a few tears or shared something quite private, it was just an open book. Friendships started to develop and bonds were made. I wasn't to realise how big that bond was.
"I provide them with refreshments, food, chocolate and things for when they've left work. We're four groups down the line and we tweak it a little bit to suit so some groups want to talk about weight gain, some groups want to talk about anxiety more, incontinence, hot flushes and brain fog etc.
"Some ladies are more emotional, some are angry and we've had a few ladies where I've had to say 'let's move the sharp objects out of the way' but everybody is so different. Whereas you can look things up on the internet, it's not going to give you all the right information, it's sharing it between each other.
"Women find it so difficult at work with brain fog for example. It sounds so silly but I remember looking back with some of the nurses I worked with and we were laughing because they couldn't remember somebody's name or 'is it hot in here or is it me?' You can look at somebody and know you know their name but you can't recall it at all."
Anyone who wants to join the Menopause Matters group can contact Helen via email helenking@newbyandscalby-tc.gov.uk