Hello, I'm Dr Louise Newsome. I'm a GP and menopause specialist, and I'm also the founder of the Newsome Health Menopause and wellbeing centre here in Stratford-Pon-Avon.

I'm also the founder of the free Balance app.

Each week on my podcast, join me and my special guests where we discuss all things perimenopause

and menopause. We talk about the latest research, bust myths on menopause symptoms and treatments,

and often share moving and always inspirational personal stories.

This podcast is brought to you by the Newsome Health Group,

which has clinics across the UK dedicated to providing individualised perimenopause and menopause care for all women.

So today on my podcast, I've got someone with me who I've only recently met actually called

Wendy, who very kindly has agreed to record this on a Sunday morning and talk

about her experience so we can really help others think about hormones, not just due to perimenopause,

menopause, but actually for younger people as well, thinking about PMS and PMDD, which will

explain what they are in a bit. So welcome,

Wendy, today. I'm really grateful that you're here. Thank you for having me. Well, we just

started talking last week. And the words that you said resonated so strongly with me. And

the more work I do in hormones, the more I'm seeing women and listening to women who have been

experiencing symptoms for many, many years. So women who I see in my clinic who are menopausal

or perimenopausal tell me how they've been struggling for years, but the symptoms were only a few

days before their periods and then it became more than a few days and then it

became longer and longer and then often when I give them the right dose and type of hormones

they come back and go yeah that's great but actually it's so sad because I could have been treated

years ago my life has been blighted by these days that have haunted my life.

And I've sat there thinking, oh my goodness, no one taught me about PMS and PMDD.

...