#35 Michelle Hardwick: The Menopause Conversation Every Couple Needs to Have

Wow, that's fascinating, Michelle.

And I think it makes me wonder, you know, how was it before we had this information? Because especially in the last few years, I think in particular, maybe it just could be on my radar and be an algorithm.

Yeah.

But I'm hearing a lot about the menopause.

I suppose it's the first time it's been publicly being spoken about.

True.

Very much a forgotten topic.

Absolutely.

A bit of a mystery, I think, to a lot of people.

Yes.

And I'm wondering, I'm just thinking of even pre-menopause, you know, when it comes to women and their hormones.

Men are never really educated around that anyway.

So then for the marriage to be continuing and then to meet this in their 40s and 50s or whatever age it happens.

Yes.

I'm wondering, obviously, there's a huge correlation between divorce at that time of life and probably, as you said there earlier, women divorce.

becoming more authentic in many ways you know yes stopping the people pleasing yes probably in some ways waking up and realizing what they really want maybe the husband not following with them did you come across any facts or statistics around age groups in the menopause when it came to failure of marriage or or that type of thing yeah

it's about 51 percent um particularly in the uk of women initiating divorce through the menopause so i mean that's that's pretty shocking um

it is isn't it and

i i think you're right i mean you know that that also women kind of feeling like that's it i'm done you know and and not wanting to make it work anymore because you know the gaps are so huge that it's like i'm done i'm out of here i just I just can't do this anymore, you

know.

And I think each of us do contemplate that.

It is part of that evolution.

Do I want to continue this relationship? Do I want to keep doing this or not? And what you said earlier as well in terms of, you know, the menopause, there is a lot more, thankfully, a lot more information now.

And I think before it was very much a silent thing.

hidden topic maybe women did talk about it themselves my mother certainly didn't share anything about the menopause at all recently when I brought her the book and showed her the book I asked her about how was the menopause for her and she just said it was murder you know and I was like oh my god you know my poor mother and and it was it was very challenging for us living with her, going through the menopause because it was again that shifting sand.