Suffolk &amp; Cambs


<p>She&#8217;s been called the woman who kick-started the menopause revolution. But Dr Louise Newson – GP, menopause specialist and author – is here to tell us the conversation needs to go much, much bigger. Ahead of her <em>Breaking the Cycle</em> tour coming to Suffolk &amp; Cambs, we grabbed five minutes with the woman whose Balance app has become a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of women worldwide.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/A1_8334-1000x667.jpg" alt="Dr Louise Newson" class="wp-image-47787" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/A1_8334-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/A1_8334-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/A1_8334-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/A1_8334-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/A1_8334-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-you-worry-that-menopause-has-become-such-a-buzzword-that-the-bigger-picture-on-hormones-is-getting-lost">Do you worry that menopause has become such a buzzword that the bigger picture on hormones is getting lost?</h4>



<p>Honestly? Yes. The word &#8220;menopause&#8221; actually refers to just one single day: the point at which your periods have stopped for a full year. What we really need to be talking about is hormones: what they are, what they do, and what happens when they go off balance.</p>



<p>Think of it this way: if a doctor told you that you were &#8220;tired,&#8221; that doesn&#8217;t actually tell you anything useful. But if they said you were vitamin D deficient, suddenly you have a cause, and a path forward. It&#8217;s exactly the same with hormones. We have hormone receptors on cells throughout our entire bodies, so when levels of estradiol, progesterone and testosterone are off, the ripple effects can be enormous. Hundreds of thousands of symptoms have been logged by users of the symptom journal on my free Balance app, and so many of those women had been told their symptoms were something else entirely. That has to change.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-your-tour-is-called-breaking-the-cycle-what-s-the-one-cycle-you-most-want-women-to-break-free-from">Your tour is called <em>Breaking the Cycle</em> – what&#8217;s the one cycle you most want women to break free from?</h4>



<p>The systemic cycle of medical misogyny, misinformation and inadequate care. That might sound bold, but it&#8217;s what&#8217;s happening. So many women are still struggling to get the right type and dose of hormones – whether that&#8217;s for menopause, perimenopause, PMS, PMDD or postnatal depression – because of outdated thinking and a lack of knowledge, even among the people treating them.</p>



<p>After my first tour, the stories I heard from women in the audience lit a fire in me. This new show is going to be bolder, with more science, more real stories and more of those eye-opening facts that make you go home and see everything differently. I want women to leave feeling informed, empowered and, frankly, a little bit furious in the best possible way.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/anastasia-leonova-52I9MntctQ0-unsplash-1000x667.jpg" alt="Menopause woman" class="wp-image-47790" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/anastasia-leonova-52I9MntctQ0-unsplash-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/anastasia-leonova-52I9MntctQ0-unsplash-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/anastasia-leonova-52I9MntctQ0-unsplash-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/anastasia-leonova-52I9MntctQ0-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/anastasia-leonova-52I9MntctQ0-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-can-you-give-us-a-taste-of-what-suffolk-amp-cambs-audiences-are-going-to-hear">Can you give us a taste of what Suffolk &amp; Cambs audiences are going to hear?</h4>



<p>I don&#8217;t want to give too much away, but I promise there will be moments that make you reflect not just on your own health, but on your partner&#8217;s, your colleagues&#8217;, your mum&#8217;s. There will be some genuinely surprising facts about medications that are routinely prescribed to women far more commonly than HRT. And a very clear explanation of why not all hormone treatments are the same – which is something far too many women (and their doctors) simply don&#8217;t know.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-most-of-us-couldn-t-tell-you-the-difference-between-oestrogen-and-cortisol-why-have-hormones-been-kept-so-confusing-for-so-long">Most of us couldn&#8217;t tell you the difference between oestrogen and cortisol. Why have hormones been kept so confusing for so long?</h4>



<p>For generations, we were taught to defer to medical authority and not ask too many questions. That&#8217;s finally starting to change; people are more curious about their bodies than ever before, and I&#8217;m here for it.</p>



<p>At their most basic, hormones are chemical messengers. They govern your growth, your metabolism, your emotions, your sleep, your blood pressure, your sex drive. They&#8217;re what makes you fall in love, bond with your baby, feel furious at 3am for no apparent reason, and cross the finish line when you&#8217;ve got nothing left in the tank. When the balance is right, they are absolutely extraordinary. My show is about helping women understand that, and then helping them get there.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/7R507336-1000x667.jpg" alt="Dr Louise Newson" class="wp-image-47788" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/7R507336-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/7R507336-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/7R507336-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/7R507336-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/7R507336-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-do-you-wish-every-woman-understood-about-natural-and-synthetic-hormones">What do you wish every woman understood about natural and synthetic hormones?</h4>



<p>This is such an important one, and it&#8217;s a big part of the show. I love this analogy: if I told you that you needed more protein in your diet, and gave you the choice between organic chicken and a packet of chicken-flavoured crisps, which would you choose? One is the real thing. The other is a synthetic version designed to taste similar but built very differently.</p>



<p>Body-identical hormones have exactly the same molecular structure as the hormones your body produces naturally. They mirror what your body does, and crucially, they don&#8217;t carry the same risks associated with synthetic hormones. The problem is that many women, because many GPs simply don&#8217;t tell them, don&#8217;t realise there&#8217;s even a choice to be made. Knowledge is everything here.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/pexels-mart-production-7089401-1000x667.jpg" alt="Woman at GP appointment" class="wp-image-47791" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/pexels-mart-production-7089401-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/pexels-mart-production-7089401-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/pexels-mart-production-7089401-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/pexels-mart-production-7089401-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/suffolkcambs/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2026/03/pexels-mart-production-7089401-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-if-you-could-put-one-sentence-on-a-billboard-that-every-woman-in-the-country-would-see-what-would-it-say">If you could put one sentence on a billboard that every woman in the country would see, what would it say?</h4>



<p><em><strong>Could it be your hormones?</strong></em></p>



<p>That&#8217;s it. Just that. Because too many women are being misdiagnosed with other conditions when hormones are the real story, and too many doctors are reaching for everything except hormone treatment. If every woman had a solid working knowledge of her own hormones, she&#8217;d be better equipped to recognise changes in herself, advocate for the right help, and actually get it. That&#8217;s the dream.</p>



<p><em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/menopause_doctor/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr Louise Newson&#8217;s</a> Breaking the Cycle tour comes to </em>the Key Theatre, Peterborough on <strong>15 May</strong>; Apex Theatre, Bury St Edmunds on <strong>8 June</strong>; Corn Exchange, Ipswich on <strong>9 June</strong><em>. Tickets available <a href="https://www.nlp-ltd.com/dr-louise-newson-breaking-the-cycle/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. Download her free Balance app at <a href="https://www.balance-menopause.com/balance-app/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">balance-menopause.com</a></em></p>



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-in-the-mood-for-more">IN THE MOOD FOR MORE&#8230;</h5>



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Muddy Meets: Dr Louise Newson

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