Perimenopause & Me: ‘Mood swings and waterfalls of sweat — more than anything else, I felt embarrassed’

When I look back on the period of my life where signs and symptoms of perimenopause were just beginning to set in, I realise now that I averted my gaze from this new reality at all costs. During my reproductive years, I was lucky enough to get away relatively lightly in terms of periods, cramping and mood fluctuations. I’ve always been hugely emotional — to an embarrassing degree, my daughters may say — so whether...