Why more women need to recognise perimenopause as the ‘main event’: Cherry Healey

Health & FitnessLifestyle
23 Mar 2026 • 10:49 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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When presenter and podcaster Cherry Healey turned 41, she was struck with anxiety, heart palpitations, and chronic exhaustion. For about two years, she thought she was ‘going mad’, until a doctor told her that what she was experiencing wasn’t a random, isolated mental health crisis: it was perimenopause.

In this clip from the Well Enough podcast, Cherry argues that perimenopause is the true ‘main event’ for women, and not just something to put up with. The more people talk about it openly, the less likely it is that others will find themselves in the position Cherry did: stressed, confused, and feeling helpless.

Watch the full episode of Well Enough with Cherry Healey here, or listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.