Thread by @NicolaSturgeon

1/ It was a pleasure to chat with @SamBaker for The Shift, inc about menopause. Given my position & platform, I feel a responsibility to be open about my own experiences - but also real anxiety about it. My generation still feels the stigma & recalls all the HRT scare stories…

https://twitter.com/sambaker/status/1485895730476859395

2/ The menopause (though it shouldn’t be) is mystifying for women, and accessing support & treatment still far too difficult.
For me, the public nature of my job adds to the anxiety of all it might entail (my ‘joke’ in the podcast about hot flushes during FMQs is a real fear!)

3/ But I’m sure I’d feel more prepared for what lies ahead if, in past years, there had been women in positions like mine able to talk about how they coped while still doing their jobs well.
So I feel a responsibility to do that now for the next generation - but with trepidation

4/ The stigma, ignorance & negativity need consigned to the past.
If being open about my own experience as it develops & how I’m dealing with it can help do that in some small way, I’m determined not to hide away from it - however uncomfortable it might be.

5/ In the meantime, I’m grateful to the many women from all walks of life already speaking out and giving support, knowledge and inspiration to me and others.

For those wanting to learn more, I’d highly recommend Sam’s excellent book, The Shift

6/ And I’m now reading this by @muirkate (the stat on p4 is striking: by 2025, 12% of world’s population will be menopausal).

More power to those busting stigma, working to improve knowledge & treatment, & helping us start to view menopause as a time of empowerment not regret 💪