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Bri Ball
“My experience with perimenopause began when I was around 38 or 39, and I had no idea what was happening. I’d always had difficult periods – heavy and unpredictable – and at 32, I learned I had fibroids. At the time, I didn’t really understand what that meant but I was told not to worry and that they’d be monitored, so I put it out of my mind. Around the same time, I started chemotherapy medication for psoriatic arthritis, but nobody mentioned that any of these issues might trigger an early menopause.
Over the next twelve years, I watched myself gradually decline. I went from holding senior full-time positions to slowly reducing my hours, until eventually, I stopped working altogether. I gave up driving and preferred staying home because anxiety and panic overwhelmed me. Socialising became incredibly challenging since I felt pressured to act as if everything was fine. My mental health deteriorated; I faced many dark days and struggled with intrusive thoughts. I couldn’t pinpoint why I felt so depressed or understand what was happening.
Then, on May 12th, 2021, everything changed. As I watched Davina McColl’s Channel 4 documentary, ‘Sex, Mind and the Menopause,’ I had a revelation—suddenly, all the pieces came together. The realisation hit hard, leaving me angry and questioning why so little was known about menopause and why there’s such stigma attached compared to topics like periods and pregnancy. That moment ignited a determination within me to support other women facing menopause, leading to the founding of Sojourn Doncaster.”
Bri’s skills, knowledge and experience are supported by a long career in community and project development and she has over 30 years working within deprived communities with marginalised and vulnerable groups. She is passionate about addressing inequalities, particularly women’s health inequalities a vision which is now being addressed by the Uk Government’s Women’s Heath Strategy.
What we have achieved so far
Since its formation in 2021, Sojourn has been actively involved with Public Health Doncaster as well as achieving some key milestones.
Here’s what we’ve done so far: (Bri)
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Whilst there are still a few or the original Sojourn groups running in Doncaster, wider support is, thankfully, becoming available with many organisations implementing menopause policies to better support women in the workplace. We will continue to update our Self-Help resources with information about local groups as this becomes available, so keep an eye on our directory here.
