Just as I turned 41, I realised I was perimenopausal. I felt like a train wreck had crashed through my life and I was no longer in control of it. I was angry, why had nobody warned me about this, I though menopause was something that didn't affect you till you were in your 50's!! 

I had days where I felt incredibly low and others where I went into a total rage, despite having always been pretty chilled out. I struggled to concentrate or think straight and getting a good night sleep was almost impossible. My symptoms impacted my personal relationships and my work. 

I saw three GPs at my local surgery and paid to see a menopause specialist at the spire, all of whom offered anti-depressants or another contraceptive pill. 

A friend of mine introduced me to cold water swimming and it has been life changing.  The euphoric feeling it gave me along with a calmness that I had been missing, gave me back control of my life. 

I now have the support of a private hormone specialist who has helped me with natural supplements and HRT and the cold water swimming continues to brighten my brain and my days. As a result, I have been able to retrain as a Workplace menopause consultant myself, to deliver evidence based workshops to both men and women in the workplace. My hope is that by providing this training, women can be forearmed with tools to better help themselves and be prepared for what is to come and employers will be better equipped to support women at work.

Having been inspired by some amazing women in open water swimming groups, I have set myself the challenge of doing 365 swims this year. 

All of the funds donated will go to the menopause charity, who continue to do amazing work in raising awareness around menopause, a subject that society has been far too quiet about for far too long. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. 

Sophie x