Emma McCaffrey, a 48-year-old mother from Winchester, Hampshire, experienced debilitating symptoms including intense night sweats, memory lapses, vertigo, and sudden hot flushes in her early forties. Convinced she had cancer, she later discovered she was going through menopause.
Overwhelming Symptoms
Emma, an online personal trainer, reduced her working hours from 15 per week to just 90 minutes as her symptoms worsened. She described the experience as unnerving, with brain fog, forgetfulness, and rage moments. Her joints ached due to lack of estrogen, which she initially attributed to overexercise.
Teaching fitness classes became challenging as she would forget words mid-sentence. Emma said, 'Teaching is like a performance, so you need to be on it. You're stood in front of people and you're the expert, then you forget what you're saying.'
Impact on Work and Life
The exhaustion forced Emma to dramatically cut her workload. She said, 'I've already got so much to remember... the mental load is huge anyway, and then you lose it and drop balls because of the lack of estrogen.' She now focuses on helping other women through her online fitness platform, Move With Emma, emphasizing movement as key to managing symptoms.
Emma decided not to hide her struggles from clients, believing it's important to talk about menopause. She noted, 'There are so many symptoms, but still so many women don't know that menopause is having an impact on them.'
HRT and Employer Awareness
Emma now uses hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to manage her symptoms. She urges employers to better understand menopausal women's experiences, saying, 'Women in their forties, fifties, sixties have so much to give. The workplace and the economy are losing talent if women are alienated.' She advises women to inform themselves, track symptoms, and bring support to doctor appointments.
NHS Menopause Symptoms
The NHS lists common menopause and perimenopause symptoms, including changes to periods, hot flushes, night sweats, sleep problems, mood changes, poor memory, brain fog, weight gain, vaginal problems, and UTIs. Additional signs may include skin changes, bone density loss, hair thinning, reduced sex drive, urinary incontinence, muscle aches, joint pains, headaches, heart palpitations, and dental issues.
