21/09/2026
THE CONVERSATION WE START FAR TOO LATE.
A girl is prepared for her first period. She is told what to expect, what to carry and how to manage the changes occurring in her body.
But who prepares that same girl, now a woman, for the years leading to her final period?
For many women, perimenopause arrives before they even understand the language of what their bodies are experiencing. Changes in their menstrual cycle, sleep, mood, concentration, energy, body temperature and sexual health may be dismissed as stress, ageing or simply “something women must endure”.
Menopause is not a disease, nor is it the end of a woman’s relevance, beauty or vitality. But calling it natural should never mean leaving women uninformed.
Preparation means educating women before they are in distress. It means recognising possible changes, knowing when to seek professional support, understanding that treatment must be individualised and creating homes and workplaces where women can speak without embarrassment.
This education should begin while women are still in their 29s, 30s and 40s not after they have spent years wondering what is happening to them.
We must make menopause education as normal as menstrual education.
Women deserve to enter every stage of life informed, supported and unashamed.
What do you wish more women knew about perimenopause and menopause?
Save this conversation. Share it with your sisters, friends, daughters, colleagues and partners.
