'I set up a menopause cafe to help other women'

A new peer support group is launching in Staffordshire to give people a space to discuss menopause and its impact.

Organiser Cheryl Adams said she had been unable to find any support locally so contacted the charity Menopause Cafe about starting her own group.

The group is open to all, meaning women and their relatives are able to attend and talk about their concerns.

The first session will take place on 29 April in Cheadle and will run for an initial three sessions on the final Tuesday of each month.

The sessions take place at the Wellspring Methodist Church on Chapel Street between 18:00 BST and 20:00.

"It's one of those things where normally with anything growing up you hear the generation above you talk about stuff – but you don't with menopause," Ms Adams said.

"So, all we knew as girls, growing up, was that eventually you would go through the change and your periods would stop.

"Nobody warned us about the other 40-odd symptoms that come along with it."

She said that although there were now books people could read, and information on the internet, these were no substitutes for sitting and talking with somebody who is experiencing it themselves.

Attendees will be able to talk about what they feel is helping them through the menopause and some of the things they may be struggling with.

It is open to all – and that includes relatives who might be affected by their loved-ones going through the menopause.

"It's difficult enough for us going through it to understand what's going on, [we] can't possibly expect partners to understand what's going on as well. It's a bit of a minefield," Ms Adams said.

"We've not got the answers to everything, we are literally a group of ladies that are all going through it that are going to get together and just talk about it."

She added: "If people come along and all they take from it is the fact they are not alone in this then I've achieved what I've set out to do."

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