03/02/2026
On Friday, we will be screening "The M Factor" documentary, which powerfully exposes how women’s midlife health has been overlooked, minimized, and under-researched, and why it is time for a very different conversation.
I have the honour of sitting on a menopause panel as the mental health voice in the room, bringing a trauma-informed counselling and nervous system lens to a conversation that has been far too medically siloed for far too long.
I will be joined by an extraordinary group of women who are each doing meaningful work in this space:
Featuring:
Dr. Brittany Schamerhorn, Naturopathic Physician
Hannal Lintell, Clinical Pharmacist
Jenn Pike, Functional Medicine Diagnostic Nutritionist and Medical Exercise Specialist
and myself, offering a counselling and mental health perspective grounded in nervous system science and trauma-informed care.
This panel brings together medical, pharmaceutical, functional, and psychological insight because menopause is not just a hormone issue. It is a whole woman experience. And it deserves a whole system conversation. Perimenopause and menopause are major neurological and hormonal transitions that directly impact mental health, and for decades our medical system has minimized, dismissed, or under-researched them.
Here are a few numbers that rarely get talked about:
- Around 35.6 % of women worldwide in perimenopause or post-menopause experience depression, making it a major global health concern, not a “mood swing.”
- Up to 70 % of women report significant psychological symptoms, including brain fog, anxiety, irritability, and mood instability during the menopausal transition.
- 44 %–62 % of women in perimenopause report cognitive difficulties, like forgetfulness and trouble concentrating, often severe enough to affect work and daily life.
- Up to two-thirds of women (~66 %) experience some level of menopause-related brain fog, not just “feeling tired.”
- Over 50 % of women report low mood and depression, around 50 % report anxiety, and 42 % report anger and severe mood swings during this transition.
There is a reason so many women in their 40’s and 50’s suddenly feel anxious, flat, foggy, irritable, or unlike themselves, and it is not because they are “too sensitive” or “not coping well.” For generations, women have been told to “push through,” handed antidepressants without hormone conversations, or reassured that it is “just stress.” Meanwhile, fluctuating estrogen and progesterone are directly influencing serotonin, dopamine, sleep regulation, and stress response.
Traditional medical training has long under-emphasized menopause, meaning many clinicians do not consistently recognize or treat the mental health aspects of this transition, and women often leave appointments with antidepressants or reassurance rather than hormone-informed care.
This is not just about hot flashes. This is about brain chemistry, nervous system regulation, identity shifts, grief, boundaries, and capacity. When a woman who has managed everything for decades suddenly feels overwhelmed, panicked, weepy, or mentally foggy, that deserves informed care, not dismissal.
If you are navigating perimenopause or menopause, or you love someone who is, this conversation matters. Education reduces shame. Community reduces isolation. And mental health support during this stage should be standard, not optional.
We deserve better care. We deserve informed conversations. And we deserve to understand what is happening in our own bodies. If this speaks to you, we would love to see you there.
Hosted in partnership with Ivy Health Clinic & Shoppers Drug Mart
Friday, March 6th @6:00 pm
1050 Frost Road, Kelowna BC
Tix $34.94 (come with a friend and ticket price reduced )
Join us for The (M) Factor 2: Before the Pause—a fun, eye-opening film event on perimenopause and women’s health!
