A woman who was suffering with the symptoms of perimenopause said it took her nine months to get a prescription for life-changing hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Emma Burns said she was dealing with sleepless nights, hot flushes, and emotional trauma for months and was even referred to a mental health nurse before she was finally prescribed HRT, which relieves the symptoms of the menopause.
As she was 38 at the time her symptoms started she was told it was very unlikely she was going through the menopause and her symptoms were likely related to the issues in her life at the time. Wales was just coming out of lockdown and she described her anxiety as "going through the roof".
Emma, now 40, said: "I was getting night sweats. And the insomnia – I have had more than enough experience with bad sleep after having three children – but this was on another level. When my children were younger and they would wake I'd have no trouble getting back to sleep. But it was impossible. I started waking earlier and earlier. I would wake up at 4am and I would be exhausted."
