25/10/22: What would Florence Do? – Practicalities of ‘coping’ with the Menopause

Florence Nightingale was an active young woman, but by the time she would have experienced the “menopause” she was suffering with a long-term health condition and practically bed-ridden. It was not something that was discussed, and many of today’s recognised symptoms were accepted or addressed without much ‘fuss’. That was Victorian Britain.

Florence was a great traveller and explorer, looking for solutions and ways to make the lives of those around her better. What would she advocate today?

The earliest hospitals introduced many “ideas” on what would make patients better and, today, many are calling for menopause to be recognised as a medical condition. HRT is so often seen as the ultimate answer, but what should we accept as the “cure” for what is a natural stage in a woman’s life? How do we make our own reasoned choices and take back our power through this transitional and transformational time of a woman’s life?