Breaking the Menopause Taboo

Season 1 • Episode 1
Jo McEwan from Positive Pause

In the UK, 13 million women are going through a menopause which can last anything up to 15 years. In the US, 6,000 women hit the menopause every single day! So it’s not exactly a niche subject, yet, it’s not something we easily talk about either. This means that many midlife women can feel isolated and worried by a range of symptoms they hadn’t expected which can disrupt their life.

The good news is that the Positive Pause team have made it their business to bust the menopause taboo and provide practical and accessible advice to midlife women. In this episode, I’m joined by Jo McEwan, one of the founders of the Positive Pause website, which is an incredibly helpful resource, full of information to help you navigate the menopause minefield.

Feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by the lack of practical and user-friendly information available when they hit the peri-menopause themselves, the Positive Pause team set to work to create a site that would inform, reassure and entertain women experiencing the peri-menopause and the menopause. It’s really interesting to hear about Jo’s journey and the challenges she faced

We have a frank discussion about all matters meno- and peri-menopausal, why it’s important to lay the groundwork for a healthy menopause in your early forties and the vast range of different symptoms and what you can do about them.

Show Notes

To find out more about Jo and the work that she’s doing, visit the Positive Pause website.

Follow the Positive Pause team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Useful Resources and Products

Here are some of the websites, services and research that we discussed or that are relevant to the theme of the podcast.

• Read my blog on how to Balance Your Hormones with the Right Diet  
• Try Va Va Voom: the 10-Day Energy Diet. Getting the basics right can make a big difference to menopause symptoms, as discovered by the Pelvic Roar team when they tested the diet. Read how they got on: https://www.pelvicroar.org/post/va-va-voom-part-two. 
• Keep your pelvic floor in great shape by downloading the award-winning Squeezy App. 
• Monitor your sugar, alcohol and caffeine intake by keeping a copy of The Right Bite: Smart Food Choices for Eating on the Go in your bag. 
• Read what the NHS has to say about the menopause
• Transform your lunch on a busy working day with the fabulous Packed: Lunch Hacks & Recipes to Squeeze More Nutrients into Your Day
• Collect your free sample from our sponsors Sylk, and relieve vaginal dryness and irritation.