A Syston woman has been overwhelmed with support after setting up a ‘menopause cafe’ in the town for others going through the change, which is often shrouded in taboo.
Tracey Pollard is due to hold her first event this evening (Wednesday, April 6), at the town’s Pharmacie Arms, which has offered them a space to meet upstairs.
After revealing her plans for a ‘Menopause Cafe’ on social media, Tracey said that she was “overwhelmed” with support from members of the community. She is excited to meet people at the event, which will be a ‘safe space’ for people to discuss their experiences of menopause, a life-changing event for women, which usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55.
“I’m not sure whether I’m going to get lots of laughing women, or lots of crying women, but we’ll have lots of tissues and lots of cake!” she told the Leicester Times.
“I’m right at the start of the journey, so I’m ‘perimenopausal’, but after talking to some of my friends who are really struggling with ‘full-blown menopause’, symptoms like anxiety, brain fog and depression, I found that there’s really nothing around”, she went on to reveal.
“I couldn’t get anything out of the doctors. In fact when I went there I met with a young doctor who couldn’t get me out of the room quick enough!”
Disappointed by her findings, Tracey decided to put a post out on social media in order to try and reach other women who might be in a similar situation.
Within two hours, she’d had over 85 responses.
“I put a post out thinking that maybe I’d have one or two comments, but I didn’t expect that”, she said.
“In the messages there was so much support – women sharing symptoms and suggestions, and I just thought ‘this is brilliant’ because it just started that conversation off, which is still quite taboo.
“The women have started to talk already, so I think tonight it’s going to be great – we’ll have a rant and a rave and a giggle and just generally talk about it. I’m really looking forward to it”, she added.
The ‘Syston Menopause Cafe’ will be held tonight upstairs at Syston’s ‘Pharmacie Arms’, between 6.30-8pm.
It is hoped that meetings will take place monthly with the next happening on May 4.
To find out more, visit the Facebook page by searching ‘Syston Menopause Cafe’.
By Louise Steel
