My Peri Story - Video
In response to my recent Instagram post — which sparked countless messages and calls — I’m sharing my story + the resources that helped me in the early stages of seeking support and treatment.
After I shared this post on Instagram and my personal Facebook this week, I was flooded with messages and calls from women sharing their own challenges and experiences around perimenopause/menopause and wanting me to share my own process.
I’m still in the process, but I already feel way better than I have in years. Over the last few weeks, several friends have commented on my spark returning after having not felt myself in a while and that’s precisely how I feel. I know it won’t always be like this but I’m hopeful I now have more understanding and awareness of this period of life.
I’m sharing my story in the hope that it helps even one woman as I wish I had had.
When I started asking the older women in my life for guidance in my early 40s, wanting to be prepared and understand what might be ahead, I was met with vagueness. Shrugs. A quiet “you just go through it” Some of them didn’t even remember or know what they had endured until I started asking them.
So when it hit? I was completely blindsided.
The wild part is, I didn’t even realise I was in perimenopause until I was towards the end of it. And for many of us, it can last up to 10 years. That means I’ve been pushing through symptoms for years.
Years.
With little understanding, next to no support, and outdated healthcare that seemed more interested in telling me to get up earlier and take my vitamins than understanding my hormones.
And no one around me was talking about it. Not really.
So I had to dig. Learn. Advocate. Piece things together just to claw back a bit of quality of life.
This video isn’t for me. It’s for you. So you don’t have to feel as lost or as alone as I did.
P.S. other symptoms I suffered that I didn’t mention in the video were;
joint pain
chest heaviness (like an elephant was sitting on my chest)
social anxiety
up and down moods
loss of joy
weight gain
and extreme, extreme fatigue.
If you’d like to share your peri story, either written or on video, in the hopes of helping another woman on her journey, send me a message. I’d love to feature you, too.
Here I’ve included the resources and the Carrie Bickmore clip I referenced in the video below.
My current favourite resources
Dr Louise Newson - Maybe It’s Menopause The Imperfects PODCAST
Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I'd Known About Menopause by Naomi Watts
Healthy Hormones - GP-led online community for Public and Health Professionals improving how hormonal health—particularly peri/menopause—is understood, supported, and prioritised across Australia through public awareness campaigns, professional education, community connection, and strong advocacy for systemic change.
So Hot Right Now ~ Sydney Opera House Recording
Experience So Hot Right Now from the iconic Sydney Opera House in this exclusive recording of the sold-out event held on March 1st 2025. Take a front row seat as world-leading women’s health specialists — Dr. Louise Newson, Dr. Mary Claire Haver, Dr. Kelly Casperson and Dr. Vonda Wright — share the latest evidence-based information, offering fresh insights into navigating menopause and debunking common myths and misconceptions. Engaging panel discussions also feature Australia’s top menopause experts and advocates — Prof. Jayashri Kulkarni, Dr. Ceri Cashell, Michelle Bridges, and Prof. Odette Best — with the fabulous Shelly Horton as MC.