Saorsa Menopause Consultancy

20/04/2026

Monday Walking 121 , with my Branch Redistribution Manager 🐾

Well, today she lived up to her job title in spectacular fashion. Three branches. Not one, not two… three. Apparently one branch just wasn’t going to cut it for today’s redistribution targets. She’d clearly bit off more than she could chew, but she committed to the process.

It got me thinking though… how often do we do the same? We pile on the work deadlines, the family logistics, the social commitments, the never-ending to-do list, and then wonder why we feel like we’re dropping sticks everywhere.

And if you’re navigating menopause on top of all of that? The brain fog, the sleepless nights, the hormonal rollercoaster that nobody warned you about? That is a LOT to carry.

Here’s what she reminded me today: she didn’t manage all three gracefully. She wobbled, she adjusted, one fell out twice. But she kept going, and she looked pretty proud of herself at the end.

So this week, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, maybe ask yourself which branches actually need carrying right now, and which ones can stay on the ground for a bit.

Be kind to yourself. You’re doing more than you think.

What are you putting down this week to give yourself a break? Drop it in the comments.

WomenInBusiness Wellbeing perimenopause perimenopauseawareness makemenopausenatter

20/04/2026

Monday Walking 121 , with my Branch Redistribution Manager 🐾

Well, today she lived up to her job title in spectacular fashion. Three branches. Not one, not two… three. Apparently one branch just wasn’t going to cut it for today’s redistribution targets. She’d clearly bit off more than she could chew, but she committed to the process.

It got me thinking though… how often do we do the same? We pile on the work deadlines, the family logistics, the social commitments, the never-ending to-do list, and then wonder why we feel like we’re dropping sticks everywhere.

And if you’re navigating menopause on top of all of that? The brain fog, the sleepless nights, the hormonal rollercoaster that nobody warned you about? That is a LOT to carry.

Here’s what she reminded me today: she didn’t manage all three gracefully. She wobbled, she adjusted, one fell out twice. But she kept going, and she looked pretty proud of herself at the end.

So this week, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, maybe ask yourself which branches actually need carrying right now, and which ones can stay on the ground for a bit.

Be kind to yourself. You’re doing more than you think.

What are you putting down this week to give yourself a break? Drop it in the comments.

15/04/2026

A medical student spent 6 hours studying the full menstrual health cycle. I spent 30 hours just to become a licensed menopause champion.

Last week I was at a GP appointment when the doctor asked if it was okay for a third-year medical student to sit in. I said yes, and what followed turned into quite a revealing conversation.

When he heard what I do for a living, he lit up. He had just completed his menopause training and sat his exam. I was genuinely pleased to hear it, so I asked him how many hours he had spent studying the subject.

Six hours. And that was for the full menstrual health cycle, not menopause alone.

I did not say what I was thinking in the moment, but I will say it here.
To become an accredited and licensed menopause champion, I completed a minimum of 30 hours of training with Menopause Experts Group. That does not include a full day with Diane Danzebrink, menopause specialist nurse and founder of the campaign, or the ongoing hours I am working through with Louise Newson Newson, Health training.

I want to be clear: I am not criticising this young man. He was enthusiastic, engaged, and clearly committed. The problem is not the student. It is the curriculum.

Menopause will affect every single woman who lives long enough to experience it. That is 51% of the population. And yet the medical training dedicated to understanding it amounts to a fraction of what it takes a layperson to become a licensed champion.

We talk a lot about women not being taken seriously when they present with menopause symptoms. Perhaps part of the answer lies here.

The student was not the problem. The system that trained him is.

13/04/2026

Today’s 1:1 walking meeting with my Branch Distribution Manager took on new dynamic, she has an apprentice!

The youngster joined us, full of energy, curiosity, and absolutely no idea what to do with a stick. One photo says it all, the apprentice watching intently as the senior professional demonstrates the fine art of stick management. Observation. Practice. Passing on hard earned skills.

You could almost see the learning happening in real time, not through instruction or correction (ok there was a bit of teethy correction), but through observation and quiet attention. It was a reminder that so much knowledge is passed on in ways we don’t always notice, just by being present and allowing others to see how something is done.

That’s exactly why I’m a Menopause Champion. I want to share knowledge and experience, so the next generation doesn’t have to face perimenopause in the dark, like so many of us did. Piecing it together on our own with no support.

I want something different for the generations coming next. I want them to have access to shared knowledge, real conversations, and a clearer understanding of what’s happening in their bodies, so they are not left trying to figure it out in isolation.

Knowledge, like branch distribution management, is best passed on, with patience, laughter, and maybe good walk along the way.

01/04/2026

01/04/2026

What do yams and pregnant horses have to do with menopause?

It’s a question I often use to start a conversation about HRT, because it immediately highlights how much the landscape has changed… and how much confusion still exists.

Historically, many women were prescribed HRT in the form of conjugated equine oestrogens, derived from pregnant horses’ urine. Premarin is perhaps the most recognisable example.

The publication of the Women’s Health Initiative was a turning point. It led to a dramatic shift in perception, with understandable concern around risks, particularly breast cancer.

However, what is often lost in translation is that the WHI investigated a specific formulation: oral equine oestrogen combined with a synthetic progestogen.

Subsequent evidence has helped us better understand that:
• The type of progestogen plays a key role in breast cancer risk
• Micronised progesterone has a more favourable risk profile than synthetic alternatives
• The route of administration matters, with transdermal oestrogen associated with a lower risk of thrombosis for many women

In current UK practice, most women are offered body-identical HRT, using estradiol and micronised progesterone, often delivered via patches or gels.

However, it’s worth noting that in the United States, older formulations, including conjugated equine oestrogens and synthetic progestogens, are still prescribed more frequently than in the UK, although practice is gradually shifting.

In other words, we are no longer comparing like with like.

And yet, in my work, I still meet women and organisations making decisions based on outdated assumptions about HRT.

This is where education is critical.

Not to promote a one-size-fits-all solution, but to ensure women have access to accurate, evidence-based information so they can make informed choices about their health.

Because when it comes to menopause, understanding the detail isn’t a luxury. It’s essential.

If your organisation is reviewing how it supports menopause in the workplace, or you’re not sure whether the information being shared is up to date, this is exactly the space I work in.

30/03/2026

Menopause action plans are now voluntary. But spring 2027 is closer than it looks.

Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, employers with 250 or more employees will be legally required to publish a menopause action plan as part of their Equality Action Plan from spring 2027.

From April 2026, you can publish one voluntarily, and the government is actively encouraging organisations to use this year to get their approach right before mandatory reporting begins. 

So the question isn’t whether you need one. It’s whether you’re ready.

Here’s what the government expects your menopause action plan to include:
∙ At least one evidence-based action to support employees experiencing menopause, including perimenopause and post-menopause
∙ Consideration of intersectional needs, recognising that women from different backgrounds or with additional health conditions may experience symptoms differently
∙ Senior leadership sign-off and visible commitment
∙ A clear process for tracking and measuring progress against your chosen actions
∙ Annual review and resubmission alongside your gender pay gap report

The government has published a list of 18 recommended, evidence-based actions across five categories: recruiting staff, developing and promoting staff, building diversity into the organisation, increasing transparency, and supporting women with health conditions and menopause. 

The business case for getting ahead of this is straightforward. One in 10 women who worked during the menopause have left a job due to their symptoms. 

A well-constructed action plan helps you retain experienced talent, reduce menopause-related absenteeism, and demonstrate the kind of inclusive culture that matters to employees and candidates alike.

There is also a growing legal risk: menopause is increasingly being raised in employment tribunal proceedings, with employees bringing s*x discrimination, disability discrimination and failure to make reasonable adjustments claims. 

Acting now reduces that exposure significantly.

The voluntary year is an opportunity, not a grace period. Organisations that use it well will be compliant, confident and ahead of their peers when mandatory reporting lands.

If you’re not sure where to start, I offer a free menopause audit to help you understand where your organisation stands and what steps to take next. Get in touch to find out more.

27/03/2026

HRT fear didn’t come from nowhere… it came from a flawed study.

The WHI study caused panic, headlines, and millions of women stopping HRT overnight. But what most people still don’t realise is that the data was misunderstood, misreported, and applied to the wrong group of women.

Fast forward to today and we know the risks were overstated, the benefits were underplayed, and the damage to women’s health has been huge.

It’s time to separate fact from fear.

If you’ve been told HRT isn’t safe, you deserve the full, evidence-based picture.

27/03/2026

HRT fear didn’t come from nowhere… it came from a flawed study.

The WHI study caused panic, headlines, and millions of women stopping HRT overnight. But what most people still don’t realise is that the data was misunderstood, misreported, and applied to the wrong group of women.

Fast forward to today and we know the risks were overstated, the benefits were underplayed, and the damage to women’s health has been huge.

It’s time to separate fact from fear.

If you’ve been told HRT isn’t safe, you deserve the full, evidence-based picture.

25/03/2026

For over two decades, women have been lied to about the risk of breast cancer and Hormone Replacement Therapy .

These are not my words, but Professor James Simon's, former President of the North American Menopause Society and the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health. He has spoken openly about the impact of the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative ( ) study, a study that made global headlines and received more press coverage than the US invasion of Iraq at the time.

The message that reached women was simple. HRT causes breast cancer.

Almost overnight, women stopped taking HRT. Usage dropped dramatically:

From around 35% - 40% of women using HRT, to just 5% in the US and 14% in the UK.

During this time, breast cancer rates have RISEN from around 1 in 10 women to approximately 1 in 7 today. It is important to acknowledge that improved screening and awareness play a role in this, but the figures don't add up. A dramatic decrease in HRT use, with a significant increase in breast cancer rates??

So what went wrong?

The WHI study, which cost around 1 billion dollars, has since been heavily criticised:

· It used non-randomised elements and flawed statistical interpretations
· It studied older women aged 50 and above, many of whom self-enrolled and had existing risk factors
· It excluded younger perimenopausal women starting HRT at the most relevant time
· It used synthetic hormones rather than body-identical transdermal HRT, which was excluded due to cost

Later analysis of the same WHI data told a very different story:
· At 7 years use, there was no increased risk of breast cancer
· At 12 years, there was a significantly reduced risk

These findings did not receive the same level of attention, buried in page 7 of the tabloids. So the impact of those 2002 headlines prevails today.

Many women remain fearful of HRT. Many healthcare professionals still advise that it causes breast cancer or stroke. Outdated guidance continues to circulate.
Recently, my own sister was advised to stop her HRT before surgery due to blood clot risk. This advice is now considered outdated and recent research shows no increased risk of breast cancer or clots if using transdermal body identical oestrogen or micronised progesterone.

The biggest driver of breast cancer in women is alcohol, as little as one glass of wine a night, no safe limit, it's a carcinogen... where are those headlines?

We need to change the narrative. HRT is not only about symptom relief, like joint pain, brain fog, sleep disruption, but it also plays an important role in protecting: heart health, brain health, bone density.

It is time for honest, evidence-based conversations rather than ones rooted in outdated fear.

Have you ever been told HRT causes breast cancer? Or been advised to stop taking it? Let me know below.

17/03/2026

This morning’s “walking meeting” with my Branch Distribution Manager took an interesting turn.

She arrived highly motivated, immediately identified a very large branch, and insisted on taking full ownership of the distribution strategy.

What followed was a masterclass in adaptation.

Progress was slow at first. The branch was, frankly, far too big. There were a few logistical challenges including whacking it off my calves every 10 yards. Some resistance, as she tried to manoeuvre through a gate. And couple of awkward manoeuvres when a rival distribution manager attempted a hostile takeover over of her branch.

But then, she paused and reassessed.

And instead of abandoning the plan, she got to work, breaking the branch down into smaller, far more manageable pieces.

Bit by bit, the problem became easier to carry, easier to move, and ultimately much more achievable.

I’m not entirely sure what the official business lesson is here.

But there’s probably something in:
Not trying to carry the whole thing at once
Stopping to reassess when something feels too heavy
And having the sense to break big challenges into smaller, workable parts

Also, a reminder that enthusiasm and determination will get you surprisingly far… even if your strategy evolves along the way.

16/03/2026

Proud to be a Certified Menopause Champion.

Before menopause was widely talked about in workplaces and communities, Menopause Experts Group introduced the concept of Menopause Champions to the world. What began as a bold idea has now grown into a global movement helping to change the conversation around menopause.

I’m proud to be part of that movement.

Being a Champion means being someone who listens, understands and helps others access the right information and support. Menopause impacts so many aspects of life, yet for years it was something women were expected to manage quietly.

Not anymore.

Conversations are opening up. Awareness is growing. And Champions are helping to make that happen every day.

If you see the Menopause Champion badge, you know you’re speaking to someone who cares deeply about improving understanding and support for women.

Proud to be part of this important movement.



.m.nicol