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This Is Perimenopause
Menopause isn’t the end, it’s just the beginning. Hosts Michelle and Mikelle are on a mission to help others be better informed than they were when they started their perimenopause journeys. The podcast is a blend of health, education, mindset, and personal growth. Michelle and Mikelle along with their guests are sharing real-life stories and expert advice to help you navigate perimenopause, menopause and beyond.
This Is Perimenopause
Everything You Need to Know About The National Menopause Show with Angela Macgregor
Looking for answers to all your perimenopause questions?
Angela Macgregor felt the same way, which inspired her to organize Canada's inaugural National Menopause Show.
Episode Highlights:
- Discover Angela's personal journey through perimenopause and how she finally found relief after years of confusion
- Uncover the surprising lack of menopause training in medical schools and its impact on patient care.
- Learn to navigate the sea of menopause information and identify trustworthy, science-backed resources.
- Get an exclusive preview of the cutting-edge topics to be discussed at the National Menopause Show.
- Learn how to build your personal perimenopause toolkit
This episode offers valuable insights for women of all ages, from those just entering perimenopause to those well into their postmenopausal years. Join a growing movement of women who are taking control of their midlife health and thriving.
Links for this episode:
Tickets - National Menopause Show
Instagram - National Menopause Show
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I think it's really important that women know that they're not alone in this journey. There is help out there and it's also important that we can connect with other women. It doesn't necessarily have to be the menopause champions and the doctors. It's having an understanding of what another woman's path has been and the similarities and maybe the differences, and you can help one another. So I think that's really really important and the objective of this event is to create a community for women, for their health and wellness.
Mikelle:Welcome to. This is Perimenopause, the podcast where we delve into the transformative journey of perimenopause and beyond. I'm one of your hosts.
Michelle:Michele, and I'm your other host, Michelle and we know firsthand how confusing, overwhelming and downright lonely this phase of life can be.
Mikelle:Join us as we share real-life stories and expert advice to help you navigate this journey and advocate for your best health.
Michelle:We used to think menopause signaled an end, but really it's just the beginning.
Mikelle:Join us today as we chat with Angela McGregor, the visionary behind Canada's first ever National Menopause Show. Angela's story might sound familiar Years of unexplained symptoms, doctors scratching their heads and a whole lot of self-doubt. But instead of accepting the status quo, she's decided to change the game. Enter the National Menopause Show, a day of learning and connection, bringing women, doctors and menopause experts together under one roof. Whether you're in your 30s and just starting to think about menopause, or you're a seasoned pro, this episode is one you don't want to miss.
Michelle:Welcome, Angela. Thank you for coming on the show today. We're so excited to have you here. Well, thank you for having me.
Mikelle:I'm really excited to be here. Let's jump right in. Maybe you could start by telling us about your menopausal journey and why it prompted you to imagine, and actually activate, the first ever National Menopause Show in Canada.
Angela:Well, I started to have these symptoms, unbeknownst to me, back in my 30s, and there was weight gain, hair loss, a combination of symptoms, and I really couldn't articulate what my issues were. I blamed myself that I wasn't getting enough sleep. I shouldn't have had that glass of wine. Anyways, I went to the doctor and she did some blood work and she said you're normal, and if you ask my husband and my children, they would tell you I wasn't normal, I wasn't myself. So, anyways, the long and short of it is, I really suffered, and have suffered for many, many years with all these different symptoms, and there was, like I said, a lot of self-blame. Was it something I ate? I shouldn't have had the dessert. I need more sleep, but I wasn't sleeping. So it really was a matter of these symptoms to really become debilitating before I did something and I discovered there were hormones.
Michelle:So I was going to say how old were you when you discovered the hormones?
Angela:Well, this is this is pretty interesting. I was 56. I'm 57 now.
Michelle:Oh, wow, wow. So you suffered, for I suffered many years, decades.
Mikelle:I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I'm so sorry anybody has to go through that. And I just want to say, when you said you said the word blame, I like I got a hair on the back of my neck kind of stood up and that's exactly my, was exactly my experience, right, what's wrong with?
Michelle:me. Why is it that I?
Mikelle:can't handle this. What did I do wrong? So hormones at 56, and did it take a while? Was it? Was it you advocating to get them?
Angela:It really I'll tell you I really, uh, it's. It was a matter of just opening the conversation up with other women and, um, I had a luncheon with a group of women and one of these gals she's a very vibrant, successful woman and she looked like she was hit by a Mack truck and it wasn't like her. So we engaged in this conversation and I felt for her and I understood that you know she wasn't getting the answers from the doctors. So I started to do some investigation and I found that doctors in North America are not trained in perimenopause, menopause it is not part of their curriculum in med school. That's a problem.
Angela:There's a lack of resources for women perimenopause, menopause, hormones that don't understand how these things in our body, if you may, are the epicenter of our health and hormones. There were studies done 20 some years ago and it really impacted a lot of doctors and a lot of women because, doctors, there was a message that went out and said hormone therapy is cancer causing. You need to go off hormone therapy. And that myth is still out. There started in trade shows and conferences and then I left the business to start a family and ended up in my parents' business and I found through my journey. There really was a lack of information out there for women in general. There's all this information on having babies and what to expect and when you're expecting, but there really wasn't anything about what this thing called perimenopause was or menopause, and it really was out there in the ether, and I think women have been ultimately craving more information, but some of us women don't really understand. What information do I need? We're multitaskers. We want to get things done.
Angela:We want it quick, we want it now, we need it quick, yeah, we don't have time for our health and I think that there needs to be a pause and women need to take stock. But we need the information, we need people to help us. So I created this event because I wanted to bring the scientific community, evidence-based information and the patient we, the women together. So it's a very unique event where we're bringing menopause champions, we're bringing doctors champions. We're bringing doctors together to stamp down those myths and allow us to embrace our journey and build a toolkit, shall we say, for the next step, whether it's perimenopause, menopause or postmenopause.
Mikelle:Let's hone in on this a bit, because I think it's important. Why in-person? Why is it important to have an in-person, a live and in-person event about menopause?
Angela:I think it's really important to have an in-person event because there's so much access to information out there on the internet, and isn't it wonderful that we can be on this call today and we can communicate and I've had you know, it's been a great journey for me to be able to talk to so many vibrant, amazing women on a platform like this. We need something tangible, we need a community, we need to come together, we need to be able to ask the experts are these symptoms normal? So I think it's really important, in a world of information and technology, that we get together face to face. It's very easy to have a coffee and a quick visit online, but I think it's important for women to embrace our journey and to feel the support of that and have information at our fingertips.
Michelle:And we've tiptoed around this a little bit, and I think this is what one of the nuggets is of the show, which is going to make it so incredible Tell us a bit about the core values, I think the core values of this event is education.
Angela:This education is understanding and embracing what your journey is, where you are, where you're at, and we've brought together a magnificent group of doctors and menopause as I mentioned before menopause champions to educate women, to allow women to have the confidence to take the next step and to ask the questions. So the core values is about education, is about evidence-based information and collectively bringing women together and just highlighting the importance of their health and their wellness and what their journey is going to be like. Going forward. It's not the end. We're not at the end of our road. I'm 57 and I'm just starting out, so I missed a lot of years because I didn't have the information, I didn't have the education, and I want this event to allow women of all backgrounds to be educated. Education and information for topics like women's health and wellness is really important, especially for perimenopause and menopause, and we all deserve evidence-based information.
Mikelle:Now more than ever, it's really important to have evidence-based information at the foundation of anything in this space. I think because menopause in the last few years has started to get a lot of attention, which is fantastic. But with that attention comes a lot of people who are perhaps pushing things that aren't evidence based. So maybe you could tell us a little bit about who's on board and who is part of this show.
Angela:Well, I know a little bit about menopause and that is just based on my own journey. So, and I have a background in events, and I have a background in events, but we really needed to put a board of directors together to help guide us through this journey and to make sure that we were delivering information that women can count on and trust. So we created an advisory board with a number of doctors.
Mikelle:I'm also personally just really curious about where you started, like when you decided you were going to do this. Who did?
Angela:you reach out to who did you reach out to first I reached out to my doctor, my ob-gyn, just to see if they would be interested in supporting this, if there was room for an educational event for women, and the feedback was brilliant. They said yes, yes, absolutely. So we started to build this advisory board with these experts, and that really jump started what we were doing. So we wanted to make sure we had the right information and we were guided by those experts that would be delivering this information to women. So that's, that really was our jumps jumping start.
Michelle:What are some of the topics that you'll be covering at the show?
Angela:Oh, what is menopause? Hormone therapy, weight gain? We have sleep therapy aging, gracefully, shall we say, or healthy aging would be another one. So we have a talk on sex, which is something that maybe some women don't want to talk about, but it's important. We have the Menopause Foundation of Canada, who we've partnered with, and they will be talking about menopause in the workplace and advocating for yourself. We also have a topic how to speak to your doctor, which is really important, so when you can be armed with information when you go see your doctor to talk about your symptoms and what next steps are. So it's about educating women in all different facets of all different topics, and there will be some topics that perhaps women never thought about, and it will be an opportunity for women to ask the questions and get the answers. So we're hoping that this event gives women the confidence to take the next step. I love that.
Mikelle:Yeah, I think too, the understanding of just how important it is to take charge. Right, I think. Not just take charge, but put yourself first, right? We're often the last on the list and our health suffers as a result. That's exactly right. It's a dangerous combo.
Michelle:But that, combined with the fact that you go to your doctor when you finally have a moment, or you finally are at your wits end, and then they're like, no, no, you're just getting older, you'll be fine, just deal with this. Or here's some birth control pills or an antidepressant or something you know just the dismissiveness that is also. So I think the topic of how to talk to your doctor is going to be a huge education piece as well.
Angela:I think so because we have limited time to see our doctors and you know, if you have a 20-minute appointment, you want to make that 20 minutes worthwhile and you want to make sure that you're armed with the right information or the right questions to get the information you're going to need.
Mikelle:I know that you are full into this show right now, but what are your plans beyond this show? Will there be other menopause shows in the works?
Angela:Yes, we have had a wonderful response with this event on all levels, and that is with the support of exhibitors, the support of the doctors, the medical community, and there is a calling for this type of education both on the other coast of Canada as well as the United States. We own and operate about 15, anywhere from 15 to 20 events right across North America. So we do have our sights on the United States. So there will be more to come. I will let you know. I don't know if I'm going to have any downtime.
Michelle:You were hoping to slow things down, and now, instead, you're ramping it right up.
Angela:I might have a couple of weeks, but that's about it.
Michelle:Can we circle back for a sec? You mentioned exhibitors. That's actually where all of our listeners can find Mikkel and I in the exhibition area. But tell us a little bit about what's happening there.
Angela:It's very interesting and this has really been an exciting journey for me. I've learned a lot. There are a number of should I say, online health companies that will be on the show floor, so it makes being treated for your symptoms a lot easier. You will have access to healthcare online easier. You will have access to healthcare online. There are a number of resources on the show floor that will help you for your healthy aging, will help you with your nutrition, will help you with your exercise, hair loss lubricants so there is a wide range of products and services that will help you in your perimenopause journey, and there will be some products there that you will just be discovering. So I'm very excited. There are a number of startups at the show and they are just launching their products in the fall and they're making the National Menopause Show their launch pad, so we're so excited about that.
Michelle:Oh my God, that's exciting Congratulations. And then, of course, we're going to be doing something a little unique at our booth as well in that we're going to be capturing women's stories. You know we've talked a lot about the need for education. I think there's also a need for advocacy and raising the voice and telling our stories.
Mikelle:And, I think, helping women realize that what they're going through is what everybody is going through, right, and there's so much power and understanding that, oh, it's not just me Right.
Angela:Right and I think that's really important. I'm not alone. Exactly, you're not alone. We're all very normal and there are hundreds of well, I should say what I know of 100 plus symptoms for menopause and every woman's menopause journey is different, but there are a lot of similarities and I think it's really important that women know that their journey they're not alone in this journey. There is help out there and it's also important that we can connect with other women. It doesn't necessarily have to be the menopause champions and the doctors. It's having an understanding of what another woman's path has been and the similarities and maybe the differences, and you can help one another. So I think that's really, really important and the objective of this event is to create a community for women, for their health and wellness.
Mikelle:And women. I think we should probably mention of all ages, right? This is not, I think. Sometimes people hear menopause and they think, oh, that's for mid-50s older, and it's not right To your point. Your symptoms started in your 30s.
Angela:They started in my 30s and I wish I, I wish I was armed with more information. It's never too late to get support, and it's really important that women understand that the lack of estrogen replacing your estrogen is really important, and there are different things that you can do to help boost your bone health, your heart health, your brain health, and studies have found that there are a number of diseases that have a direct correlation to menopause, and we will be covering that in our sessions as well.
Michelle:I think to that point as well, like this show is for women in their 30s, but also for women who may be already in post-menopause. There's still limited information and many of those women don't know about the fact that they're at a higher risk for cardiac disease or osteoporosis or things like that. So there's a lot of information here for women of all ages and, as you said, it's never too late to get help as well.
Angela:It's never too late. There's a lot of relevant information for women in their perimenopausal stage and the menopausal stage and their postmenopausal stage. It will be a day of information that's relevant to all of us and it's not. Like I said earlier, it's not too late Women in their 60s if they have been postmenopausal for the last five years or 10 years. There's still a number of things that they can do to help their health and help their future in terms of their bone health and their heart health and their brain health, and it's not too late.
Mikelle:Yeah, and I think you mentioned a toolkit earlier. That's also something. There's sometimes, I think, a notion that there's one thing that you do to help in this stage, and it's not right. You need a variety of things you know and a variety of things that are evidence-based, and that's where the challenge comes in, particularly from a weight perspective, from an exercise perspective, from a supplement perspective. Right there, you've got to cut through the noise and get the evidence-based information to build the toolkit that works for you, cause everybody's toolkit is going to be different, going to be different, and so everybody's toolkit is going to be different.
Angela:It's going to be different Hands down. Everybody's toolkit is different. We're all different. So it's what we hope to do is have women build this customized toolkit based on their symptoms and their journey and where they're at in life, and it's giving women the opportunity to do that.
Mikelle:I'm also hoping that maybe there'll be some men on the floor, and not just because they're working the show, because they're there with their spouse or their partner, or you know because they're a big employer and they have a lot of you know women on their team who might be struggling with this, that they want to be able to retain.
Angela:I hope there are a number of men on the on the floor. When men unbeknownst to them have more information about menopause, they have a menopausal journey too, and that's what their spouse and I can tell you. My kids have had experience with my symptoms, and so have my husband, and I think we should probably have a session for men and how to support your spouse. Yeah, you know, and that's the next one. We'll ask for feedback, but I think the topic has been brought up and I think once we get this under our belt, this event, we will have a clear, a better path and how we can help families, basically because menopause, perimenopause and menopause doesn't affect just the woman, it's families.
Michelle:One of the things I'm most proud of in doing what Mikkel and I are doing is and kind of. You know what you're trying to do is spread the word, but we're together right now, mikkel and I are in the same city and her family is staying with my family. And you know our kids. They range from 17 down to 12. And you know the topic comes up. You know they all are like I got this, like they know they know so much now and hopefully they use that for good later in life. I think it's important for this education to start really young, and I think it's as you said, it's not just the women, it's also the men. So kudos to all of us for helping our boys and our girls. But helping them to, yeah, I don't know. I think it's great. I feel like I had a little burst of pride when it came up the other night and neither of my neither of our boys like no one cringed, no one was just like okay, it's just part of the conversation.
Angela:Yeah, well, I think. I think menopause, perimenopause and menopause is becoming more mainstream, and I can tell, I can tell you my boys they're in the family business and they they didn't plan on learning all this information about perimenopause and menopause, but when they get married, they're going to be um well, they're going to be loaded with information and have a better understanding of, um, what a woman's journey is.
Michelle:Absolutely Well, and my poor some of my son's friends moms listened to the show. And so then we'll get like. He'll get like snaps saying like with my, like my voice recording talking about some sort of sexual reproductive menopause thing, and he's like oh, my God mom. But you know, I think he's kind of proud too.
Angela:So he's I'm sure he's very proud of you. Girls are doing a wonderful, wonderful job oh, thank you, thank you. Girls are doing a wonderful, wonderful job oh, thank you. Thank you, and we're so glad that you're part of our event.
Michelle:We're so excited to be coming and to be meeting all of our listeners and all of your community. Melissa Grello, melissa.
Angela:Grello is hosting. She's hosting for the day. We're so excited to have her. She really resonates with women of all ages.
Mikelle:And is a great advocate.
Angela:She is a great advocate and we have some rock stars in the menopause world that will be at this event and I hope that all women can come. We've made it affordable and we're hoping that women stay for the entire day. There's so much information. I'm hoping I can sit in on some of the sessions, but Will you be recording the sessions, Angela? There will be. We are looking to have a virtual component to this event. We're working on that right now.
Michelle:Oh, I love that because it's a national menopause show, so really it would be great if you didn't have to come all the way to Toronto to enjoy and to learn.
Angela:Yes, we want women of all walks to have access to this information and what's really important is that it's an inclusive event. And women what I found in this journey and we haven't really touched on this is women of color. They experience menopausal, perimenopausal symptoms earlier.
Michelle:And often more intensely.
Angela:Yes, yes, and this event is for all women and it's really important we get the message out there and we have women, and hopefully their spouses, come and support them in their journey.
Mikelle:Is there a particular speaker or something that you are making a top priority on your list that day to make sure you catch?
Angela:You know, I there isn't one particular speaker. I'm so excited about all of the topics, I'm so excited about all of the speakers. I'm just shocked Like I had many conversations with these doctors and I have to pinch myself that they've taken the time to speak to me and they're just. There's so much information that they will be providing. So I'm just excited about the day. To me it's like Christmas Day and I just, I just want to embrace every second and I just, I'm just thrilled. I'm thrilled with the exhibitors we have on the show floor, the support that we've received from our title sponsor and our underwriters, and it's just, it's really, it's. It's beyond what I thought we could do. I only wish that I had, I was loaded with this or there was an event like this in my 30s and I wouldn't have had to have suffered like so many other women for this many years. I really feel that I'm just getting my step back, really in the last year, to be very honest with you.
Michelle:Has your toolkit exploded since you've started talking with all these doctors and, like all of the people that are on your advisory board and coming to speak, I do, I do.
Angela:I have so much information I have to write it down. I have a journal that I keep every day and I can go back and go wow, oh yeah, I forgot about that. Oh yeah, wow, there's been a lot of information that I knew a little bit about, but I have more information and have a better understanding. And what we're really excited about is this event is for all women, but we're excited to have women in their perimenopause stage be able to collect more information and a better understanding, and I think this event really is for women in their late 20s, even before they get into that perimenopausal stage, like what needs to happen. There needs to be a book out there that says what to expect when you're in perimenopause. Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's write that you should. When I had my children, we followed this Bible and what to expect them when you're expecting. And I'm telling you it was like okay, it's the. You know, we're in our third trimester.
Michelle:Oh yeah.
Angela:And we would go to our OBGYNs loaded with information, understanding what the next tests were, and so forth. Why don't we have that information for perimenopausal women? Menopausal women, we need it.
Michelle:Coming soon. Let's stop talking. Don't give the idea away. Angela, you can launch that at the next show. Yes, it'll be amazing.
Mikelle:Angela, thank you for all of this great information. We are so excited for the show. Michelle, maybe you can give us the details?
Michelle:All the information will be in the show notes, but the National Menopause Show is Saturday, October 26th at the Metro Toronto Convention Center in the South Building. Tickets are only $55.
Mikelle:We hope to see you there. We hope to see you there. Before we sign off today, Angela, what is the one thing you'd like to share with our listeners about the show?
Angela:The show is all about women embracing their journey and we want to encourage women to talk about it. We want them to seek information and support, and the National Menopause Show will be a wonderful resource for perimenopausal, menopausal and postmenopausal women to gain deeper insights. And it's going to be a lot of fun, a lot of information and I think women are going to come away feeling confident and empowered.
Mikelle:I love that. Amazing Thank you so much.
Michelle:Thank you so much, Angela. We look forward to seeing you. Thank you so much. Thanks so much for listening to the show. If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate and subscribe to our podcast. When you do this, it helps to raise our podcast profile so more women can find us and get a little better understanding of what to expect in perimenopause.
Mikelle:We also read all the reviews the good, the bad and the ugly to help us continuously improve our show. We would love to hear from you. You can connect with us through the podcast, on social media or through our website. Our information, as well as links and details from our conversation today, can be found in the show notes. This podcast is for general information only. It's designed to educate, inspire and support you on your personal journey through perimenopause. The information and opinions on this podcast are not intended to be a substitution for primary care diagnosis or treatment. The information on this podcast does not intended to be a substitution for primary care diagnosis or treatment. The information on this podcast does not replace professional healthcare advice. The use of the information discussed is at the sole discretion of the listener. If you are suffering from symptoms or have questions, please consult a qualified healthcare practitioner.
