Hello, I'm Dr Louise Newsome. I'm a GP and menopause specialist and I'm also the founder of the Neuson Health Menopause and Wellbeing Centre here in Stratford-Pon-Avon.

I'm also the founder of the free Balance app.

Each week on my podcast, join me and my special guests where we discuss all things perimenopause and menopause.

We talk about the latest research, bust myths on menopause symptoms and treatments,

and often share moving and always inspirational personal stories.

This podcast is brought to you by the Newsome Health Group, which has clinics across the UK dedicated to providing individualised perimenopause and menopause care for all women.

So today on the podcast, I'm very excited actually. I've got someone who I've known for a little while now.

And unlike many of my guests, I met in real life when I was on my tour. So she is a doctor called Rachel Birch. And she's got a very interesting, quite emotional story that she's happy to share about, and it does have a happy ending. I just hasten to add. So welcome, Rachel. Thanks so

much for joining me today. Oh, thank you very much. I'm really excited to be here, actually.

And I think the work you're doing is great. I love these podcasts. I'm an avid listener.

And hopefully, you know, what I'm going to talk about today will help others. That's the aim.

Yeah, well, I mean,

I set up the podcast because it's just another forum, isn't it? And I feel it's such a privilege,

actually, because my diary, as you know, is really busy. So to have time with people,

understanding more, not just from people who are experts, leaders in their field, but also real people with real stories. Because as you know, Rachel, in medicine, you learn a lot from the

data, from the studies, from the trials, from the academic papers. But actually, the icing on

the cake, which really changes our clinical practice, is

clinical experience, listening and learning from patients and people. And that's the most

privileged part of being a doctor, isn't it, is being allowed to listen to these stories.

Well, absolutely. Yeah. I mean, I think almost everything that I learned really has come

from patients, from listening to people. You know, you can learn, of course, you know, I think almost everything that I learnt really has come from patients, from listening to people.

You know, you can learn, of course, you know, what the book's saying, what the papers say, but, you know, how it translates to people's real lives.

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