I am very excited to welcome Dr. Lindsey Thomas onto today’s episode of the podcast. Lindsey is a registered British Menopause Society Specialist, with the highest level of training. She can be found at the NHS specialist menopause clinic in Leeds and she is also a menopause specialist at Menopause Care.
She has worked in a large inner city practice in Sheffield as a GP for almost 20 years, where much of her time has been spent working in women’s and sexual health. So I could not think of a better guest to help us understand:
How to get help if we need it?
Who to ask for help?
And when to ask for it?
Each week I get emails from women who say they have had absolutely no help. They might have been discharged after their active treatment for cancer and they feel just left. Many echo what I have been experiencing myself - and that is total confusion of what’s what? What is menopause? What is cancer? What’s lingering from the pandemic if you have been diagnosed throughout? And then we wonder who is the right person to help us? Our oncologist? GP?
I have made it my mission to help empower each and every one of my listeners and clients. So that we are all more educated, more informed and hence, can make better choices for us now and our long-term health.
So in today’s episode, I want to talk about what do we do if we feel we have no options - and how do we navigate our health within the NHS and private sector?
Here is a link to the British Menopause Society where you can find a menopause specialist to whom your GP can refer you to.
https://thebms.org.uk/find-a-menopause-specialist/
Here are the highlights:
(03:29) How women arrive in menopause and how Lindsey can help them
(08:25) There are only just over 100 registered menopause clinics in the UK
(10:35) How can we help ourselves now?
(20:21) You can find a different GP to suit your specific needs
(24:18) At what point would a GP refer us?
(29:35) What we can do when we are on a long waiting list?
(42:37) I think the biggest thing that needs to happen is that we have an awareness of how low oestrogen can impact women
About Dani:
The Menopause and Cancer Podcast is hosted by Dani Binnington, menopause guide, patients advocate for people in menopause after a cancer diagnosis, and founder of online platform Healthy Whole Me.
There is lots of information out there about the menopause but hardly any if you have had a cancer diagnosis as well. Many people say to me they have no idea what their options are, who to ask for help, and that they feel really isolated in their experiences.
I started this podcast because there was nothing out there when I was thrown into surgical menopause at the age of 39, which followed on from my cancer diagnosis aged 33.
Through the episodes, I want to create more awareness, share information from our fabulous guest experts, doctors and other specialists in the cancer and menopause field.
And of course, I will share stories from the people in our community.
So that together we can work towards a better menopause experience. For all of us.
More educated, better informed and less alone.
Connect with Dani:
Instagram @healthywholeme
Facebook: @healthywholeme
Join Dani’s private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/menopauseandcancerchathub
For oodles of inspiration, healthy recipes, yoga classes and all round positivity go to her website: https://www.healthywholeme.com/
