If you remember the smell of a Cabbage Patch Doll’s head… chances are you are not in your twenties anymore.
That is not a crisis. It is a transition.
Perimenopause often sneaks up quietly. It starts with subtle shifts. Sleep changes, mood fluctuations, brain fog, irregular cycles, long before the word “menopause” even feels relevant.
Joint pain is one of the most under‑recognised yet highly prevalent symptoms of the menopause transition. It is not “just aging”, it is a systemic response to falling estrogen that affects cartilage, tendons, ligaments, bone and even pain signalling. Clinicians increasingly describe this cluster of symptoms as the Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause (MSM).
Below, let us break down the science (as best we can), the solutions that work and critically the disparities that Black and many women of colour face so we can advocate for better care and better outcomes.
Menopause does not arrive as a clean break from menstruation. It arrives carrying the full history of every cycle you have ever had.
Heavy periods, painful cramps, fibroids, anaemia, hormonal imbalance, medical dismissal, these do not disappear at menopause. They shape how the brain, uterus, immune system and nervous system respond to the transition. For many women, especially Black women, menopause is not relief. It is the point where years of unmanaged gynaecological stress finally surface.
If you thought menopause might finally give you a minute of peace and “feeling like yourself again,” Wanda’s interview will hit home. Just when you declare victory, the universe and menopause casually sends another round your way.
Wanda’s honesty is hilarious and deeply real. Her remedy for coping? A bit of red wine, a fag and sleeping nude. Yes, that was the punch line for me! But beneath the laughter is a truth many of us know all too well.
You are not imagining it.
The 3pm crash.
The brain fog.
Say goodbye to menopause mayhem because what you are feeling is not madness, weakness or “losing it.”
It is biology. It is hormones. It is your brain and body recalibrating.small changes in systems create big shifts in behaviour. Menopause is one of those systems. An internal reboot that shakes every circuit.
Here are five evidence-backed ways to move from chaos to calm:
There is a moment in every woman’s menopause journey when the symptoms feel louder than your voice, your confidence or your clarity.
You are not imagining it.
You are not “too emotional.”
You are not losing your edge.
When researchers call menopause a “gold rush,” it forces us to confront a truth many women already felt instinctively. There is profit in our confusion. Millions of women report feeling uninformed, unsupported or dismissed and into that gap steps a marketplace of supplements, influencers, private clinics and quick fixes offering hope at a price.
The Guardian recently highlighted this problem when University College London researchers found that only 22 percent of women felt well-informed about menopause.
That statistic is not simply medical, it is political. It exposes how deeply society has under invested in women’s health, education and long-term wellbeing.
Let us begin with a quiet truth.
Menopause does not just happen to women. It happens to relationships.
While we are navigating hot flashes, brain fog, mood swings and a body that feels unfamiliar, our partners, especially our Black and South Asian men, are often left in the dark. Not because they do not care. But because no one ever taught them how to care through menopause.
In many households, menopause is treated like a private matter. In South Asian families, it is rarely discussed, even among women. In Black communities, it is often met with a shrug and a prayer and for men? There is no roadmap. No language. No safe space.
Struggling with getting your menopause skin looking smooth and radiant?
You are not alone.
For so many women, this season of life feels like a mystery of shifting hormones and unexpected changes. Yet, our skin, this outer reflection of our inner vitality, often gets overlooked in the conversation.
The truth is, as estrogen levels shift, our skin naturally loses elasticity, hydration and that glow we once took for granted. But here is what I want you to remember. Your skin is not betraying you, it is inviting you to pay closer attention, to slow down and to honour it as part of your sacred vessel.
For decades, menopause has been framed as an ending, a biological shutdown, a loss of youth or worse, a punchline. Our culture has had little to say about it beyond whispers and warnings.
But what if we imagined menopause differently? What if it marked the beginning of a new chapter, one that liberates us from biological and societal expectations and invites us to redefine ourselves on our own terms?
Menopause is not just a medical milestone. It is a deeply personal transformation, physical, emotional and cultural. For many women, hot flushes are one of the most visible and disruptive symptoms. But what happens after menopause? Do they ever stop and is the experience the same for everyone?
Black feminist scholar Bell Hooks reminds us, “Honesty and openness is always the foundation of insightful dialogue.” Menopause policy must embody that truth.
Policymakers can no longer rely on one-size-fits-all workplace protections. Psychological research on stereotype threat, pioneered by Dr. Claude Steele, shows that when women of colour sense bias or dismissal, stress hormones rise and cognitive performance drops.
Add the midlife surge of hormonal fluctuation and the effect is compounded. Higher anxiety, disrupted sleep and impaired decision-making.
A truly responsive legislative agenda would integrate this science into practice. That means funding intersectional mental-health programs, requiring culturally competent clinical training and creating corporate guidelines that address the psychological as well as physical demands of menopause.
Proud Sista!
Proud Sista!
Proud Sista!
Proud Sista!
Proud Sista!
