Lisa Snowdon 'burst into tears' when she finally got diagnosis after six years of health struggles
ok.co.ukLisa Snowdon isn’t one for keeping quiet – and that’s especially true when it comes to talking about menopause.The broadcaster, 52, is super honest about her own journey.
Her experience with perimenopause began in her early forties. “I felt anxious, had low moods, heart palpitations and panic attacks,” she tells us, “Things I’d never experienced.” She was even struck with vertigo, another lesser-known symptom. “I felt out of sorts and didn’t know why.” It took the former Capital Radio host nearly six years to get a diagnosis. “I didn’t know what perimenopause was.
I had heard of menopause, but I thought it happened when you were much older,” she admits. Her initial visit to a GP, at 41, led to a misdiagnosis of depression and a prescription for antidepressants, which did nothing to address the real cause. “The GP didn’t mention perimenopause,” she says, “I burst into tears, I couldn’t get across how I was feeling.” It wasn’t until Lisa sought help from a private doctor that she learned she was perimenopausal.
Even then, it took several attempts and thousands of pounds before she found the right treatment. Lisa’s frustration with the lack of understanding, even among healthcare professionals, spurred her to become a menopause advocate. “That’s why I’m so vocal,” she says. “You have to push back to get the help you need.” Lisa’s journey was a long and difficult one. “I didn’t want to go to work.
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