A Johnstone woman has told of her battle with the menopause as she helps other local residents going through the mid-life change.

Joan Graham, 60, was hospitalised for four months in 2019 while suffering from a number of debilitating symptoms that doctors struggled to diagnose.

The mum-of-two told The Gazette: "I had chronic insomnia and it got to a stage where I didn't sleep at all.

"I stopped eating and drinking because I felt so nauseous and I lost four stone in five months.

The Gazette:

"My hair was falling out in chunks and my short-term memory was terrible."

Joan feared that she might be displaying signs of early onset dementia but an MRA scan ruled out this diagnosis.

It was only after she underwent hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in 2021 that some of her symptoms began to disappear.

Joan said: "All my symptoms started to go away apart from the insomnia, I still sleep very badly and my memory brain fog is very much affected, but that is all.

"There's maybe 20 per cent of women who are quite lucky and don't have many symptoms with the menopause, but there's also 25 per cent who have debilitating symptoms."

As a result of her struggle with the menopause, Joan wanted to help provide support for other women who were going through similar experiences.

In May this year, she set up her own drop-in menopause group, which meets at Johnstone Castle Community Learning Centre, in Pine Crescent, every Thursday, from noon to 2pm.

Attendees are able to access information provided by Diane Danzebrink, founder of the Menopause Support Network, which aims to spread more awareness about the mid-life change.

Joan said: "I'm not a medic, I merely guide women to obtain the best help. I've also had a couple of men talk to me about how can they support their partners. 

"I wanted to set the group up because there is absolutely nothing in the whole of Renfrewshire to support women going through menopause.

"There's one menopause clinic in Glasgow and it's very difficult even to get a referral to it."

As well as hosting these weekly drop-in sessions, Joan was recently filmed for an upcoming documentary about the menopause.

She added: "My story plus two other ladies' are being used in VR headsets that will be used to help train GPs, psychiatrists and gynaecologists.

"It's great because it's going to reach so many women and help them."