Behind the Hashtag: Why Meg Mathews is using #MegsMenopause to get women talking
Behind The Hashtag is a series where we hear from people who are using social media to highlight issues that have affected them which aren't often talked about.
"The menopause to me; I’d only ever seen Sex and the City, with Samantha having a hot flush and taking her wig off."
Meg Mathews thought her party days were over when she turned 49, not knowing that her body was going through the menopause.
As the co-founder of MegsMenopause, she's encouraging women to be more open about the menopause - getting people talking about everything from mucus to mood swings.
The poster girl for menopause
Four years ago, Meg Mathews was plagued with social anxiety and didn't want to leave her house - a far cry from the 'It girl' lifestyle she was used to on the Britpop scene in the 1990s.
Like 13 million women in the UK, Meg was going through the menopause.
Meg said: "All these things happened in the menopause and all of a sudden I was just like, ‘why don’t we know anything about it?’"
The low mood she was experiencing was caused by a lack of oestrogen which she learned through her research.
Using #MegsMenopause she started an online community for others to share their stories.
Meg, who was once married to Oasis singer Noel Gallagher, said: "I’ve had a really colourful life, I’ve done everything from interiors, I’ve worked in the music industry and I would never think that I would become the poster girl for the menopause."
Planning 'Meno Meetings'
Along with her blog, she launched a shop for intimate hygiene products that help those going through a difficult change.
Meg even sourced non-plastic alternatives for her products to make the range inclusive.
Next on her list is to start 'Meno Meetings' across the UK and raise money for charity.
Meg said: "Whatever anyone makes we will give to a charity called the Daisy Network, which is women that have early menopause from the age of 12 or 15 who have never had a period, who will never know what it’s like to have a child."
Although it is a natural part of ageing, 1 in 100 women experience menopause before they turn 40.
"It’s just about sharing and talking and most of the stuff I learnt from other menopausal women," she added.
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