As a doctor with over 20 years of experience, I'd seen countless women with these same symptoms - exhausted, stressed and feeling like shadows of themselves. They shared frustrations about changes in their periods, hot flushes, stubborn weight gain, severe fatigue and strained relationships. Some sought time off work; others needed help with low libido. I prescribed medications like HRT, but deep down, I knew we weren't addressing the full picture. The constant stress, unhelpful habits and emotional toll of this life stage were left largely untouched. This realisation made me question whether I was truly helping them.

Then I became one of those patients. After a stressful few years and a career change into the corporate sector whilst still working part-time in general practice, I started experiencing sleeplessness, inexplicable anxiety, fatigue and creeping weight gain despite no major changes in my routine. My motivation and self-confidence plummeted. I suspected it was perimenopause. I turned to women who had gone through it before me. They reassured me it was just part of midlife, saying, "Take the HRT and get on with it." They hadn't had other options.

Reluctantly, I followed their advice. But part of me resisted accepting my perimenopausal status. It felt like a label I wasn't ready to wear. I kept thinking, "Isn't this supposed to happen later? Aren't I too young for this?" Accepting it felt like admitting defeat as if my best years were slipping away. I didn't feel like a midlife woman; in many ways, I still felt like a kid! I resisted the reality of perimenopause because I didn't want to be boxed in by stereotypes.

So, I started HRT and assumed that was it. I thought my life and body would just get back to normal. I doubled down, trying harder to push through the brain fog. I worked longer hours, slept less and ate an inordinate amount of "healthy" ready meals. But instead of feeling better and more in control, I felt worse. My weight and stress steadily crept up, while my mood and productivity plummeted. Physically, I was a wreck, and emotionally, I wasn't far behind. 

The final straw was being diagnosed with two autoimmune conditions, undoubtedly linked to chronic stress and the decline in my hormone levels.

That was my turning point. As a doctor, I knew the importance of health for midlife women, yet I was neglecting my own. The internal conflict became unbearable. I was so sick and tired of feeling so sick and tired that I decided something had to change. My kids were not going to grow up witnessing a mother sacrificing herself for everyone else, ignoring her own needs.