How My Menopause Centre is getting the best information to women

Young mums Dr Clare Spencer and Helen Normoyle first met at the school gates in Harrogate as they were dropping off their kids. But it wasn’t too long before they were comparing notes on the menopause. Now they’ve set up My Menopause Centre to provide information and guidance to all the women out there who want to understand what is happening to them and what they can do about it.

Clare Spencer studied at Girton College, Cambridge, took a doctorate in fetomaternal medicine, spent a year in Ohio studying high-risk pregnancies, married a surgeon, and eventually settled down in general practice in Harrogate with an emphasis on women’s health. Helen Normoyle took business studies with German at the University of Limerick and went on to work in Nuremberg and Chicago before becoming marketing director at the BBC, then at DFS in Doncaster, and more recently Boots.

“I’m a big believer in synchronicity,” says Helen. “If we hadn’t moved to Harrogate and gone to that school and our sons hadn’t become friends, none of this would have happened.” Their school gate encounter took place in 2012. Their friendship was sealed by their sons putting their handprints on a painting. A few years later they were having coffee together and Helen started telling Clare about her symptoms. “She helped me understand. I’m evidence-based, I look at data and I like to know what’s going on. She’s kind and empathetic but also very knowledgeable and I knew I could trust her. I wished I could bottle her up and share her with other women.” Which, in virtual form, is exactly what they have done.

Ironically, Clare herself, keeping fit but feeling more than usually “frazzled” by the demands of job and family, had to have another doctor say to her, “Could it be the perimenopause?” She promptly set about running in the London marathon in 2018 (the hottest one on record). But she realised that a lot of other women must be struggling with the transition. And were probably confused too. The fluctuation in oestrogen levels (perimenopause) followed by hormonal flatlining (menopause) has an almost endless list of possible effects on body and mind. The My Menopause Centre website lists 38 symptoms but Clare says, “there are more!”

Everyone knows about the hot flushes and night sweats, which can be severe. But less well-advertised are the effects on mental health. “People who’ve never had a day’s anxiety in their life suddenly find themselves stressing about everything. Their brains are full of cotton wool. And they may want to leave their husbands too.”

There is usually a cluster of symptoms, a lot of them quite subtle, but they will often involve a decline in cognitive function. Eight out of 10 women will complain of an average of seven symptoms over a period of between eight to 12 years. “Women often don’t feel themselves any more,” says Clare. “They feel discombobulated. The symptoms can have an impact on every aspect of your life.”

Helen has all the facts and figures at her fingertips. “At least one half of all women underestimate the effects.” Yet it can damage relationships and careers and lead to a loss of confidence and self-esteem. The menopause has long been a taboo subject. “The reason it’s not often spoken about,” argues Helen, “is that you’re linking yourself with being older.” But it can often hit women in their forties. Clare adds from clinical experience, “I often hear, ‘But I can’t be, I’m too young!’”

In 1921, women’s life expectancy was 59. Menopause kicked in (on average) around 57. So back then it was not seen as a big deal: you were practically a goner anyway. Now life expectancy is up around 86 or 87. “I’ve still got half my life in front of me,” says Helen. “I expect to live to a hundred. So I want to do something about it.” The traditional stoicism – the sense that this is a woman’s lot and must be endured – is no longer enough. “I want to have a good work life and a good sex life. There is so much women have to contribute to society and family. Older men get respect for their grey hairs. Why not older women?”

Clare had already had thoughts of setting up a menopause-dedicated clinic, and she and Helen had been talking about it for a couple of years, but the pandemic concentrated their minds on “femtech” and digital healthcare and the potential to help a huge number of women, not limited to a particular geography. “The sobering reality of Covid,” says Helen, “is that we no longer take our lifespan for granted – we felt we had to do something now.”

They launched in 2020. Their website tells you everything you ever wanted to know about the menopause but were too afraid to ask. And it’s in plain English, accompanied by helpful illustrations. “We wanted to make it accessible,” says Helen. It’s so important that we are better educated. If I had known a few years ago what I know now it would have given me peace of mind. Women have better outcomes if they’re prepared.”

The first thing on the website is a questionnaire that enables you to work out if you are menopausal or not. 1,700 women have already filled it in. “Women start to give things up, but you don’t have to,” says Clare. And that includes sex. Loss of libido is one of the most common symptoms of menopause. The stats say that 50% of women complain of it, but the figure of those affected is almost certainly higher given that many do not wish to complain. There are several causes: the loss of oestrogen is the most obvious one, but other factors include a decline in female testosterone and vaginal dryness.

Not all health professionals are aware as they ought to be on this front and commonly prescribe anti-depressants. Bad idea. HRT (hormone replacement therapy) is a realistic option. The My Menopause Centre website debunks a lot of myths around it so that women can make choices based on facts rather than misinformation. But there are a lot of other ways to go to, including fitness and exercise, nutrition, cognitive behavioural therapy and relationship counselling. “We have a holistic approach,” says Clare. They can even recommend career advice too for those who are feeling below par in the workplace. We have decent maternity rights for those in employment: perhaps we need the equivalent for the menopause.

The My Menopause Centre website enables you to book a physical appointment or get a video consultation. Some women find it more comfortable to discuss their symptoms in their home environment. “A big part of our philosophy is listening,” says Dr Clare Spencer. “It’s important to understand what is happening. The symptoms play out differently for different women.”

I couldn’t resist asking about the male menopause – or “andropause” – and whether there really is one. The answer is, yes, it’s real. My Menopause Centre helpfully posted a blog on the subject to celebrate Father’s Day. But I gather from speaking to the co-founders that as a general rule I have a long steady decline in testosterone to look forward to rather than it “falling off a cliff”. And a mere 17 or so symptoms. The good news is that men can seek TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) just as women can get HRT. As Helen Normoyle so rightly says: “Why wait for it to get worse?”

@andymartinink