Depression - the big turning point

The following paragraphs are excerpts taken from The Unwelcome Visitor by Denise Welch.

Since, in the eyes of society, we were destined for the scrapheap once we couldn't bear children anymore, there was never going to be any investment in our mental health. Until Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) was developed to counteract the changes that occur during menopause when you stopped menstruating - unless you were lucky - you went mad, no-one cared and your husband went off and had an affair because you were old and constantly angry.

As well as treating women for post-natal and pre-natal depression, Professor Studd had patients suffering with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Like post-natal depression, PMS can be a severe illness. Professor Studd treated me with HRT - lots of oestrogen, a little progesterone and some testosterone to boost my sex drive - and I felt better within about a week. It made an incredible difference.

It is usually those closest to you and your loved ones who spot the big changes. In her new book, The Unwelcome Visitor, Denise includes a chapter called 'A few words from my family and friends'. In this section her father, Vin describes, "The big tuning point in Denise's illness came when she went to see the Harley Street doctor, Professor Studd, and he said that the problem was her oestrogen levels, rather than her progesterone." Vin goes onto say, "It was a shock to think that she might have been suffering needlessly over the years. After Professor Studd began treating her, she never got the depression so badly again.."

Professor Studd works with a team of gynaecologists at The London PMS and Menopause Clinic