The 12 days of Menopause: Watch this Ackworth woman's video supporting those 'going through the change'

In 2019, Sue Copeland, an occupational health worker, set up a Facebook group called ‘Menopause - Advice, Info & Support’, after seeing how the menopause affects women differently with the aim of reaching out to help women understand what their bodies go through.

Since then, the group has accumulated almost 3,000 members both locally and internationally.

Over the 12 days of Christmas, Sue decided to create a parody of the song, with the help of the ladies in her support group.

It was there, ‘The 12 Days of Menopause’ was born - an informative and entertaining song that highlights just some of the symptoms of menopause.

Sue said: “The song came about over the 12 days of Christmas, I thought it would be an interesting idea to observe my different symptoms over the course of a few days.

“I had already thought of a few lines, and one of the ladies in the group said she was confident that it could be made into a song.

“So to get things moving, I asked for volunteers to get involved and 22 ladies of a menopausal age responded to express their interest in getting involved.

“The video shows us all being normal women, some of us aren’t the best singers but that added humour and fun.

“One of the group members' husbands offered his technical support by producing and editing it.

“We had some good responses from the video when we put it out on social media, people appreciated why we’d made it - to raise awareness, empower and destigmatise.”

Shortly afterwards, another group member suggested that the video might be a good opportunity to do some fundraising for a charity that holds the same ethos.

The ladies set up a CrowdFunder page to try and raise £200 for The Menopause Charity, which plans to support women and help educate doctors about the perimenopause and menopause.

Sue said: “We’ve had loads of comments and views on the video, and I hope it helps to signpost women to our group.

“Especially those who need a safe environment to chat with others who are going through the same as them.

“It's a very positive group, it’s a community where women that understand each other can have a giggle,uplift each other, talk and share advice - I love the way it’s developed.

“Even after Christmas the group will be doing all we can to raise awareness.

“I’m just amazed and proud at how enthusiastic everyone was when making the video, they all put in so much hard work and we can’t get over how much fun it's been.”

To find out more, visit Sue's support groupOr donate to their CrowdFunder for The Menopause Charity