Hello and welcome to today's in conversation with podcast. Today we are talking about the menopause. This is a subject that comes up time and time again.

The volume of questions we've had from our readers on this subject is quite literally unprecedented and I'm thrilled to welcome

to experts today to answer them for you. First up is Emma Bardwell, she's a nutritionist, a women's health specialist. She's known as the Menopause nutritionist.

And also Dr. Shazadee Harper, a Holly Street Menopopause and Well Being Doctor.

Welcome, ladies.

Thank you so much for having us.

Thank you.

Thank you for joining.

I feel we've got quite a task to get through today

based on the volume of questions that we've had. We're going to jump

straight in and start off with saying what exactly is the menopause and why does

it happen? The menopause is when your periods end. What happens is your hormones, estrogen and

progestion which are produced by the ovaries, the ovaries stop producing them. So you're no longer

fertile, you're no longer able to have children.

And this typically happens at the age of 51.

So on average, that's when it happens for most women.

And what's the main hormonal change that's taking place at this time?

So what's happening is the hormones that estrogen and progestion which make us women

effectively, you know it's the ones that sort of kicking in at puberty and give us our curves and our

periods those hormones decline the overly stop producing it and in that run-up

leading up to that time which is called a perimenopause those hormones are

fluctuating so they're diminishing as we get older.

...