Self Care Club - The Midlife Edition

This episode is sponsored by Welbeck – providing beyond better healthcare.

On today’s show we’re talking about something that affects millions of women but that we still find surprisingly difficult to talk about: our bladders.

Urinary incontinence, recurrent UTIs, pelvic floor problems and prolapse are incredibly common, particularly as women move through their 40s, perimenopause and menopause. But how much of it is actually "normal", how much should we put up with, and when should we get help?

This week we are joined by Miss Neha Sihra, Consultant Urological Surgeon, to answer the questions women are often too embarrassed to ask.

We talk about why childbirth, perimenopause and menopause can change your bladder, whether low oestrogen can cause urinary symptoms even without vaginal dryness, and whether needing to wee more frequently or waking up several times a night is simply part of getting older.

We get into urinary incontinence, including stress incontinence and overactive bladder, why women leak when they laugh, sneeze, run or jump, and what treatments are actually available.

Then it's time for UTIs. Why do some women suddenly start getting recurrent infections in midlife? How can you tell the difference between a UTI, overactive bladder and menopause-related urinary symptoms? Can you have UTI symptoms without actually having an infection? And does cranberry really help?

We also tackle pelvic floor health and prolapse. What does a prolapse actually feel like? Can you have one without knowing? Does running, lifting weights or playing sports make it worse? And what's the difference between a weak pelvic floor and one that's actually too tight?

Finally, Neha explains which bladder and urinary symptoms women should get checked rather than simply putting them down to ageing or menopause, and the symptoms she wishes women would stop ignoring.

If you've ever crossed your legs before sneezing, planned your day around toilet locations, had a UTI at the most inconvenient possible moment or wondered whether that sudden need to wee every five minutes is "just your age", this one's for you.

In this episode we discuss:

Women's bladder health

Urinary incontinence and menopause

Stress incontinence

Overactive bladder

Recurrent UTIs

UTIs and perimenopause

Vaginal oestrogen and urinary symptoms

HRT and bladder health

Pelvic floor problems

Pelvic organ prolapse

Bladder problems and sex

Exercise and urinary incontinence

When to see a urologist

Which urinary symptoms should be checked by a doctor

Find Neha Sihra here: https://welbeck.com/find-a-specialist/miss-neha-sihra

Please note: Self Care Club is not medical advice. If you have symptoms or concerns about your bladder, urinary health or pelvic floor, speak to a qualified healthcare professional.

Get in touch with us:

Email us: hello@theselfcareclub.co.uk

Instagram @selfcareclubpod

Try AG1 now at https://drinkag1.com/selfcare and get £20 off your first order + 5 AG1 Travel Packs for on the go, a bottle of Vitamin D3+K2, and the Welcome Kit for FREE. No risk with the 30- day money-back guarantee.

Find all details about the health benefits in the link. Study results are on file with AG1, 2023.

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Diagnosed with ADHD at 40, Kate Moryoussef explains what ADHD really looks like in women over 40, why so many reach midlife before spotting it, and how perimenopause, oestrogen and HRT can change your symptoms.

If you've ever wondered whether your forgetful, overwhelmed, emotionally intense brain is more than "just your personality", this episode is for you.

Kate is the host of The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast, author of The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit, an EFT practitioner and mum to four neurodivergent children.

IN THIS EPISODE:In this episode we discuss:

ADHD in women and why it is often diagnosed later in life

ADHD symptoms in women over 40

ADHD and perimenopauseOestrogen, hormones and ADHD symptoms

ADHD and HRTBrain fog and forgetfulness

ADHD and anxietyRejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD)Emotional regulation and overstimulation

ADHD and workProcrastination and executive dysfunction

ADHD burnout and masking

ADHD-friendly self-careSensory regulationSleep, movement, food and caffeine

Getting an ADHD diagnosis in midlife

🔗 Find Kate: https://www.adhdwomenswellbeing.co.uk/
🎧 Listen to the podcast: [link]
📱 Instagram: @selfcareclubpod
✉️ hello@theselfcareclub.co.uk

Self Care Club is not medical advice. If you have concerns about ADHD, please speak to a qualified professional.

Try AG1 at https://drinkag1.com/selfcare for £20 off your first order + 5 Travel Packs, a bottle of Vitamin D3+K2 and the Welcome Kit free, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Study results are on file with AG1, 2023.

#ADHDinWomen #Perimenopause #MidlifeWomen
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Ever heard us mention a pair of jeans, a hair product or a recipe in passing and wished you'd written it down? That's exactly why we've started The Midlife Club on Substack.

It's our home for everything behind the episodes: the products, recipes, clothes and bits and pieces we chat about on the show, all in one place, plus extra content you won't hear anywhere else.

Come and join us: https://substack.com/@themidlifeclub

See you in the club x
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This week Nicole's daughter Daisy went off to uni — and it's brought up every contradictory feeling going: pride, relief, grief, liberation, and the sudden silence of a house that used to be full of noise.

In this episode, Lauren and Nicole dig into what it really means to become an empty nester (or, as they'd rather call it, a "free bird") — without turning it into either a tragedy or a celebration. Because you're allowed to feel whatever you actually feel.

We cover the emotional whiplash of drop-off day, what you're really grieving when the house goes quiet, the identity shift of no longer being needed the same way, navigating phone calls and contact without guilt-tripping, why the empty nest doesn't actually stay empty, and how to rebuild your relationship with your partner once the parenting dynamic changes.

If your kid has just left, is about to leave, or you're dreading it already, this episode is your permission slip to feel it all.

Get in touch with us: Self Care Club

Instagram: @selfcareclubpod

Email: hello@theselfcareclub.co.uk

Try AG1 now at https://drinkag1.com/selfcare and get £20 off your first order + 5 AG1 Travel Packs for on the go, a bottle of Vitamin D3+K2, and the Welcome Kit for FREE. No risk with the 30- day money-back guarantee.

Find all details about the health benefits in the link. Study results are on file with AG1, 2023.

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What if the midlife confidence crisis isn't about losing confidence; but about outgrowing what used to create it?

In today’s episode Lauren and Nicole unpack why confidence feels harder to access in your 40s and 50s, even when nothing's "wrong." They break confidence down into six areas: identity, capability, body image, desirability, agency, and belonging and do a confidence audit asking the questions most women never stop to ask themselves.

In this episode we discuss:

Why the confidence markers that worked in your 20s and 30s stop working in midlife

The link between perimenopause symptoms (brain fog, fatigue, poor sleep) and feeling "less capable"

Body image and attractiveness in midlife - what actually changes

Why confidence often comes after action, not before it

Rebuilding friendships and finding "your people" in midlife

How evidence, not perfection, builds real confidence

If you've ever felt like you don't recognize yourself lately, this episode is for you.

Get in touch with us:

Email us: hello@theselfcareclub.co.uk

Instagram @selfcareclubpod

Try AG1 now at https://drinkag1.com/selfcare and get £20 off your first order + 5 AG1 Travel Packs for on the go, a bottle of Vitamin D3+K2, and the Welcome Kit for FREE. No risk with the 30- day money-back guarantee.

Find all details about the health benefits in the link. Study results are on file with AG1, 2023.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices