Menopause & Relationships

Menopause and perimenopause can be a time of significant emotional, physical and relational change. While it is often spoken about in terms of symptoms, it is also a deeply relational experience—affecting how we feel about ourselves, how we connect with others, and how we make sense of where we are in our lives.

For some people, this stage of life brings a sense of loss or uncertainty. For others, it can feel like anger, clarity, grief, relief, or a shift in identity. Often, it is a combination of many different and sometimes conflicting experiences. These feelings can be confusing to hold, particularly when they occur alongside work pressures, parenting, caring responsibilities, or changes in long-term relationships.

Making sense of this stage of life

In my work, I see menopause not as something to be “fixed”, but as something to be understood in context.

Together, we can explore how this stage of life is affecting your relationship with yourself, your body, your partner, your family, and your wider sense of identity. We can also think about how past experiences, relationships and expectations may be shaping how this period is being experienced now.

Therapy offers a space to slow down and make sense of what can feel like a complex and sometimes overwhelming time.

Late diagnosis, ADHD and neurodivergence

For some people, perimenopause and menopause coincide with—or bring into sharper focus—a late diagnosis of ADHD or other forms of neurodivergence. For others, this may be a time when long-standing patterns of attention, overwhelm, emotional regulation or organisation become more noticeable or harder to manage.

This can sometimes lead to a re-evaluation of earlier life experiences, identity, and relationships, as things begin to make sense in a new way. It may bring feelings such as grief, relief, confusion or frustration as you begin to understand yourself differently.

In therapy, we can explore these experiences with curiosity and without judgement, considering how neurodivergence, hormonal changes, and life context may be interacting, and what support might feel helpful for you.

Relationships and menopause

Menopause can have a significant impact on relationships. These changes may affect communication, intimacy, desire, emotional connection, and the roles people hold within a partnership or family.

For the person experiencing perimenopause or menopause, this stage of life can bring shifts in identity, mood, energy and sense of self. At the same time, partners may also be trying to understand what is happening and how best to respond, which can sometimes lead to confusion, distance or misunderstandings.

This includes men and other partners, who may feel uncertain about how to support their loved one, struggle to make sense of changes in the relationship, or experience their own emotional responses such as worry, frustration or sadness. These experiences are valid and can also benefit from being explored in a supportive space.

Menopause often brings existing patterns within relationships into sharper focus. For some couples, this can feel like a period of strain or disconnection; for others, it can become an opportunity to slow down, understand each other differently, and find new ways of relating.

For couples, therapy can provide a space to explore these experiences together, to hear each other more fully, and to develop ways of communicating and relating that feel more connected, respectful and supportive for both partners.

You don’t have to navigate this alone

You may be seeking therapy because things feel different from how they used to—within yourself, your relationship, or your family. You may be wondering whether what you are experiencing is “normal”, or how to talk about it with the people around you.

Whatever has brought you here, you do not need to have clear answers before reaching out.

Therapy can offer a space to reflect, make sense of your experience, and move through this stage of life with greater understanding, compassion and support.

Working together

I offer a warm, collaborative and relational approach to therapy, where we explore your experiences at a pace that feels right for you.

We can think together about what is happening in your life and relationships, and how you might begin to feel more grounded, connected, and able to move forward in ways that feel meaningful to you.