“If you had told me a couple of years ago that I would be talking in front of large audiences on a regular basis and ENJOYING it I would have laughed” says Emily. “The idea of that would have filled me with dread. But now I genuinely love talking publicly about menopause, all thanks to the journey Susanne, Hannah and I have been on together”.
Meet Emily Cary, Susanne Ahlund and Hannah Healy, a female trio of general practitioners who have worked tirelessly over the past two years to upskill and develop an expertise in management of menopause. Together with consultant gynaecologists Paul Simpson and Tim Duncan they formed Norfolk Menopause a year ago. This group of five specialist clinicians are on a mission to improve menopause care and in Norfolk; they now offer some private consultations on top of their NHS work and run educational events for health care professionals, businesses, and the public.
“It has been an incredible journey. A lot of hard graft and a huge amount of knowledge to assimilate. Not to mention the steep learning curve of forming a company, building a website, and getting to grips with social media” says Susanne.
“I think our personalities and different outlooks really complement each other” reflects Hannah. “One lovely aspect is that though we can all be quite tough on ourselves we are each other’s biggest fans. This is such a support especially when there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day”. “Juggling family life and NHS work with the building momentum of Norfolk Menopause can be exhausting but we keep each other balanced and remind ourselves often of how far we have come” says Susanne. “Plus, we have enormous fun together, my husband often comments that there is way too much laughter during meetings for this to be ‘work!’ “.
“I have learned so much from both of these amazing women, they truly are an inspiration to me every day” says Emily. “And talking publicly about an area of medicine we are so passionate about now comes as second nature”.
Dr. Emily Cary is a GP specialising in women’s health and menopause care. Certified by the British Menopause Society, she provides personalised treatment plans, including guidance on hormone replacement therapy. Dr. Cary is dedicated to helping women through every stage of the menopause journey.
