Is pain part of your menopause story?

In this episode, recorded live as a Henpicked Lunch & Learn session, Deborah Garlick is joined by Dr Clare Spencer, a doctor who works in menopause clinics, to talk about menopause and chronic pain: how hormonal change affects the way we feel pain, and what we can do about it. It's also the theme of this year's World Menopause Day.

Together, we explore:

• [00:44] Why chronic pain in midlife is such a big topic, and the finding that over 50% of midlife women experience it [verify]
• [02:27] How the menopause transition links to pain, from muscle and joint aches to migraine
• [03:27] How oestrogen affects the way nerves send pain signals and how the brain perceives them
• [04:57] Joint and muscle symptoms, and when new pain needs a doctor's attention
• [06:14] The morning stiffness many of us know, and why you should keep moving
• [08:02] Migraine, how hormones can affect it and why a diary helps
• [10:22] Menopause alongside existing conditions such as fibromyalgia, endometriosis and pelvic pain
• [11:51] The brain chemistry behind pain, including serotonin
• [13:21] Whether HRT can help pain, and what else might be needed
• [16:36] Moving in a way that suits your body, and pacing good and bad days
• [17:51] The vicious cycle of poor sleep, pain and isolation, and how to break it
• [19:31] Questions from the audience on joint injury, testosterone, hypnotherapy and acupuncture
• [23:34] Whether duloxetine can be taken alongside HRT
• [24:47] Migraine and HRT, and what to do if you're told you can't have it
• [28:10] Supplements such as vitamin D, magnesium and collagen
• [29:40] Why going to your health check matters

Clare is clear that pain in midlife is real, that menopause can start it, worsen it or overlap with it, and that HRT may help but is rarely the only answer. What we still don't know, such as whether menopause directly causes frozen shoulder, she says plainly. Her take home message: look after yourself, keep moving, and do what is right for you.

Whether you're living with aches you can't explain, managing a condition that has got worse, or simply want to understand what's happening in your body, this conversation is essential listening.

Find out more about My Menopause Centre at https://www.mymenopausecentre.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mymenopausecentre

Would the people in your organisation feel able to say they're struggling with their period at work?

In this episode, recorded live as a Henpicked webinar, Deborah Garlick is joined by her co-founder Sally Leech to talk about becoming a menstruation friendly employer. They cover why menstrual health matters at work, what gets in the way of talking about it, what employees are actually asking for, and the practical steps organisations can take right now.

Together, we explore:

• (00:43) Why more organisations are starting their menstruation friendly journey, and what a live poll showed about how far they've come
• (07:42) The case for action on demographics, business, law and social responsibility, including how many people who menstruate are in work in the UK
• (12:13) What stops people talking about menstruation at work, from stigma and embarrassment to male dominated environments
• (14:31) Why tribunals involving menstrual health are becoming more common, and what employers can learn from them
• (17:41) Back to basics: the menstrual cycle, what menstrual health really means, and why someone may have over 400 periods in their working life
• (20:08) Common physical and psychological symptoms, and why heavy menstrual bleeding shouldn't be dismissed as normal
• (22:08) Menstrual health conditions, including fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS and PMDD, and how they can affect working life
• (25:14) Knowing what's normal and what isn't, and the damage done when people are told they're "just one of the unlucky ones"
• (28:21) Why support shouldn't wait for a diagnosis, when endometriosis takes an average of seven to eight years to diagnose
• (29:51) How an apprentice with endometriosis became one of her organisation's highest performers because her mentor understood
• (31:39) What employees told Henpicked they want: access to period products, an open culture and flexibility
• (35:32) Trust, manager confidence, formal policies and why being believed matters so much
• (39:27) Why "it isn't just a period": signposting, uniforms, working environments and peer support
• (42:08) In their own words: what a menstruation friendly workplace means to employees
• (43:30) The key levers for employers: culture, policies and practices, training, engagement and listening
• (50:42) Lessons from Huddersfield Town Football Club and Lloyds Banking Group, two of the first organisations to achieve Menstruation Friendly accreditation
• (55:25) Tackling the cost of free period products, and why access and dignity matter most
• (58:16) How to get started without feeling overwhelmed

Deborah and Sally are clear that this isn't a tick box exercise, and support doesn't need to be complicated or expensive. Most people aren't asking for special treatment. They want to be heard, believed and given simple, practical support so they can do their best work. The question they come back to again and again is: what's getting in the way of you being your best at work, and what can we do to help? Their advice to employers is to say what you do, do what you say, and keep listening.

Whether you're an HR or wellbeing lead building a business case, a manager worried about saying the wrong thing, or you simply want to understand what menstrual health really means at work, this conversation is essential listening.

Find out more about becoming a Menstruation Friendly employer: https://menstruationfriendly.co.uk/

Have you ever been told to just go away and lose weight, without anyone explaining why your body wasn't responding the way it should?

In this episode, recorded live as a Henpicked Lunch & Learn session, Sally Leech is joined by Dr Emma Sloan, menopause specialist at Dr Morton's Women's Health Service, to talk about the recent renaming of PCOS to P-MOS (poly endocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome): what actually changed, why it took 14 years, and what it means for diagnosis and treatment going forward.

Together, we explore:

• (00:02:19) Why PCOS has been renamed P-MOS, and why the condition itself hasn't changed at all
• (00:02:50) The real numbers, P-MOS affects up to 1 in 8 women, many of whom don't know they have it
• (00:04:13) Why "polycystic" is misleading, there aren't actually cysts on the ovaries
• (00:05:21) The 14 year campaign behind the name change, and why it reflects a whole body condition rather than an ovarian one
• (00:07:03) The four main ways P-MOS shows up, reproduction, hair and skin, metabolic health, and emotional wellbeing
• (00:10:38) How P-MOS is actually diagnosed, and why the two out of three criteria catches women whose scans look normal
• (00:12:45) Approaches to managing P-MOS, from nutrition and exercise to metformin and weight management medication
• (00:17:16) How to get the most out of a GP appointment when you suspect P-MOS
• (00:20:31) Why P-MOS and perimenopause can overlap, and what that means for symptoms later in life
• (00:26:16) What the evidence actually shows on GLP-1 medication and weight loss surgery restoring fertility

Dr Emma is candid about how much has been misunderstood about this condition for decades, and just as clear about what's changing, earlier diagnosis, more personalised treatment, and less of a one size fits all approach. Her message throughout is that no two women experience P-MOS the same way, and understanding that is the first step to getting the right support.

Whether you've been living with a PCOS or P-MOS diagnosis for years, wonder if it might explain your own symptoms, or simply want to understand your body better, this conversation is essential listening.

Find out more about Dr Emma Sloan's work at Dr Morton's Women's Health Service here: Dr Emma Sloan.