or more than six months, journalist Shelly Horton, 52, blamed herself for her strong mood swings and depression. Despite feeling hot, gaining weight and experiencing extremely heavy periods, a doctor told her she simply had to learn to handle her stress better. Perhaps, they suggested, she should get a hobby.

“ I didn’ t want to get out of bed and I lost all interest in my work, which should have been a big red flag because I love debating the news on Channel Nine,” says Shelly.“ This went on until I was inconsolable and my husband said,‘ I don’ t think there’ s anything wrong with you, but there might be something wrong with the chemicals in your brain. Why don’ t we go and see someone together?’”

He made an appointment with a GP educated in women’ s health, who immediately diagnosed Shelly with perimenopause and gave her a prescription for hormone replacement therapy and antidepressants.“ I was 45 and was like,‘ I’ m too young!’ but within a couple of weeks I felt like myself

and was enjoying my job again,” she recalls.“ I was mad I had slipped through the cracks and nearly quit the job that I have worked so hard to get.”

Shelly has made it her mission to prevent others from going through what she did, and campaigns the government for more menopause support, shares her story on social media, wrote a book called I’ m Your Peri Godmother and is currently hosting a national tour event featuring world experts on menopause( find out the latest from Shelly on Instagram @ shellyhorton1).“ Education is key,” she says.“ The next generation of women is going to be smarter and stronger and better at tackling perimenopause because they’ re not going to be flailing and wondering what’ s going on.”

What is perimenopause?

We’ ve known about menopause for centuries but the label“ perimenopause” only became widely known in the past five years, as gen X women – and doctors – sought solutions for the changes and challenges many women face due to

When you need to see a doctor, make sure they are trained in menopause and perimenopause.”

hormonal changes in midlife.“ Menopause is diagnosed 12 months after a woman has had her final ovulation [ and period ] but perimenopause refers to women having symptoms related to hormonal changes even while they are still having periods,” explains Dr Kelly Teagle, GP and founder of WellFemme telehealth menopause clinic( wellfemme. com. au).“ The closer you get to menopause, the more chaotic the hormonal environment becomes, which can lead to instability in your brain chemistry.”

Perimenopause can start very subtly up to 10 years before menopause. According to Shelly, there are more than 50 potential perimenopause symptoms, including irregular cycles, irritability, migraines, sleep disturbances and brain

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