'I think menopause is taboo in Caribbean communities'

Joan St Clair says that women suffer in silence with their menopause symptoms

Joan St Clair says the menopause was never spoken about in her family.

“I was like meno-who? I never heard the word. Never heard my mum speak about it, never heard my elder sister speak about it. It was a shock to me.

“I think it is a taboo [in the Caribbean community]. As a woman you have to stand up for the family. You don’t want to show weakness.”

So the 61-year-old opened a “menopause cafe” in Reading earlier this month to give women a safe space.

“Now we need to be more vocal. We need to understand and have that knowledge that we can pass onto our children."

She was about to turn 50 when she went to the doctors about irregular periods and was told that she was going through the menopause.

On doing her own research following the appointment, she discovered she was going through perimenopause for some time without knowing it.

Having educated herself with the ins and out of menopause, she was determined to speak about it openly in her community.

Melvina, who attended the cafe, said it was a safe space to speak about her experience

Joan says she set up the group so women from the Caribbean community can speak about their health, including the menopause, because many like her “suffer in silence”.

She said she had initially targeted the Caribbean community – but the cafe now has members of other ethnicities.

“You realise it’s not just black women who are suffering in silence. We have our Asian communities who suffer in silence and don’t talk,” she added.

Heather says that menopause was easier for her as her mother openly spoke about her symptoms

Melvina, a member, said the cafe is about learning to have a good quality of life and “not letting these symptoms take our mobility, our joy”.

Heather, who also attends the cafe, said: “I think when there are more collaborated groups like this to take the pressure off the doctors for women, we can form our own […] and take responsibility for ourselves.”