Two Perthshire friends have joined forces to create a new supplement, aimed at helping women with menopausal symptoms.
Morven Shaw, 45, and Debbie Wheeler, 54, were looking for a natural remedy to alleviate symptoms related to the menopause, but struggled to find a solution.
So Debbie and Morven, who have been friends for seven years, decided to do something about it.
This led to the launch of Selaura – a clinically proven supplement helping women experiencing debilitating symptoms related to the menopause.
‘I wasn’t functioning at the top of my game’
Morven, who lives near Dunkeld, explains: “I started feeling rubbish about two years ago. I was really tired and I’m normally someone who has tons of energy.
“I’d become quite snappy with my kids and my husband, which isn’t normal for me.
“I was getting brain fog, which meant I couldn’t quite find the right words sometimes. I just wasn’t functioning at the top of my game.”
After researching her symptoms, Morven realised she was experiencing perimenopause – menopause symptoms that begin before your period actually stops.
‘You don’t feel old in your early-40s’
While symptoms often begin in the months leading up to the menopause, they can start as early as 10 years prior to your period stopping.
The mum-of-three continues: “I got a bit of a shock, to be honest. No one was talking about the menopause two years ago.
“People didn’t like talking about it because it had that feeling of getting old and you don’t feel old in your early-40s: You still feel young and that you should be able to do things. You don’t feel at the end of your life.
“I did confide in Debbie though, because she is a holistic therapist.
“I wanted something natural to help me through this stage – I knew I wasn’t fully menopausal yet, but I couldn’t go on feeling like this.
“At that point I wasn’t really living : I was just surviving.”
Natural alternative to HRT
Selaura supplement aims to boost energy, stamina and sexual vitality; provide hormonal balance and better sleep; and reduce stress and anxiety, bloating and digestive issues.
Morven enthuses: “When we started, we just wanted to help one woman feel better and not have to go through what we did.
“But as we’ve progressed, we want to help lots of women. It’s all about empowering women to make their own choices about their menopause treatment.
‘Symptoms can hit you like a bus’
“Menopause can hit some people like a bus, the symptoms can be so debilitating.
“This is a natural alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) – some women don’t want to or can’t take HRT – or you can take it as well as HRT.”
‘You’re not alone’
Around 400,000 women in Scotland are of menopausal age and it can be a daunting experience, but help and support is available to those who need it.
Morven concludes: “I initially felt quite alone and I’m really glad the conversation is changing around menopause.
“If you’re going through peri or menopause, you’re not alone.”
Selaura donate 3% of their gross profits to women’s charities. The brand’s packaging is sustainable and its 12 ingredients (plant extracts and vitamins) are all vegan.
As part of National Menopause Month, Selaura has a 10% discount offer when quoting MENOPAUSE21 until October 31 2021. For more information see their website.