iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 2h

1/4 I work with schools. I've always worked in and around schools. I've done it so long my body still manages a half term lurgy even when I've mostly been working online! That means I understand the specific challenges faced when teachers, #Edusky #EduskyUK

100

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 14h

Menopause in Schools Menopause Mentoring Groups change what school staff know about menopause and how to survive it, but more importantly they change how those people feel about perimenopause and menopause. You can't bottle that!

000

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

1/4 When it comes to dealing with menopause in school, eventually everything comes down to a conversation (or several conversations) between the staff member experiencing perimenopause or menopause and the leader who is able to offer the right support. #Edusky #EduskyUK

100

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

1/2 It's all very well trying to avoid all Ultra Processed Foods, but many of you are often time-poor and stressed out. But UPFs are not all the same. Some are shockingly high in salt, sugar and fat, and low in fibre and nutrition. Some are still good for you and short cuts well worth taking.

100

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

1/2 There are so many of us perimenopausal and menopausal women carrying on as normal, masking our pain. Different kinds of pain are linked to our hormones - and the way our nervous system deals with pain is also affected by our hormones. #Edusky #EduskyUK helenclare.substack.com/p/menopause-...

helenclare.substack.com

Menopause and Pain

A complex relationship...

100

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

It's true, we often laugh in sessions, but menopause in school is no joke. Teaching's a hard enough job without the burden of perimenopause. Let's talk about what we put in place to support those staff and to make menopause something we talk about rather than worry about! www.rfr.bz/b0d6d

000

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

1/3 One size does not fit all with menopause. One size does not fit all with menopause treatments. One size does not fit all when it comes to supporting school staff. One size does not fit all when it comes to menopause policy. #Edusky #EduskyUK

131

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

1/2 Got to love a good fart joke - but this can be a perimenopausal thing. Our bowel function is affected by our hormones. Oestrogen has a tendency to push things along. Progesterone can slow things down. So when we're in perimenopause and menopause things can get a bit weird! #Edusky #EduskyUK

131

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

What do you think has the biggest impact in supporting school staff through perimenopause and menopause? - raising all staff awareness - training managers - support groups - reasonable adustments #Edusky #EduskyUK

000

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Possibly the perfect Sunday afternoon. Live music. A good single malt and my partner taking candid photos of me. What's not to like! Did you manage to chill out this weekend? #Edusky #EduskyUK

010

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Perimenopause in school is tough. It's not just one tough day, one tough week or even one tough term. It's an additional burden every day for weeks and months and years that can wear away at us until it all feels just too hard to do. The right support stops that happening. #Edusky #EduskyUK

021

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Forgetting what you were going to say. Walking into a room and walking out again without doing the thing you came for. Things you were supposed to do, places you were supposed to be slipping your mind. helenclare.substack.com/p/memory-hac... #Edusky #EduskyUK

helenclare.substack.com

Memory Hacks for Menopausal Moments

This could be happening for a while... let’s deal with it.

120

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

010

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Minnie-paws is 14 which makes her 72 in cat years! She's had no health issues so far but I've noticed she seems to be chomping her treats on the left side of her mouth. She's off to the vets on Monday to get her teeth looked at. She is not a good patient. Wish us both luck!

010

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

1/2 Perimenopause and menopause can stop an experienced teacher in their tracks. Suddenly they're forgetting what they're doing. Or they're struggling to 'run the room'. Or crippled by fatigue or insomnia, #Edusky #EduskyUK

140

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

1/2 You know those days when your brain won't work and it feels as if every word and action happens through treacle? Try this! Find the colleague who will make you laugh. The one who says the things that no-one else will, with the supply of bad jokes or who is just plain silly. #Edsky #EduskyUK

131

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

1/2 We take our vaginas and vulvas to work. When they're uncomfortable it affects sitting, walking, and bending and the constant discomfort or pain affects our focus and our concentration. #Edusky #EduskyUK

100

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

1/3 Between you and me, I'm not unflappable. I left my handbag on the train on the way to a job on Thursday. I flapped then, I can tell you. But then I went about sorting it out - talking to customer service on the train and blocking cards on my phone. #Edusky #EduskyUK

100

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

1/2 How should schools support staff through menopause and menstruation? If you have more than 250 staff then it's all about the new law in April. If you have less, then it's still a good model. But there's also the British Standard. helenclare.substack.com/p/british-st... #Edusky #EduskyUK

helenclare.substack.com

British Standards for Menstruation and Menopause in the Workplace

A Summary of Key Points with my thoughts!

311

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

1/4 When your words just disappear. You're in full flow, you've done this a thousand times before. You know everything you need to say. It's all stacked up in your head like little cue cards. And then it isn't. There's nothing. You have no idea what you were going to say. #Edusky #EduskyUK

132

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I may have bitten off more than I can chew. Last night I cast on 527 stitches for this shawl. It took over an hour! This is going to be a long one. But that's life isn't it? Some wins are quick. Some are slow and steady. Sometimes things feel overwhelming at first. It will be worth it!

010

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

1/4 Yes, you need a menopause policy. You need it because you have a legal obligation to support employees through perimenopause and into menopause. You need it because it enables you to consider what that support might look like - and put reasonable boundaries on it. #Edusky #EduskyUK

100

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

If you're an academy chain, you'll be thinking about getting your Menopause Action Plan in place. I've been helping academies do this for several years now. Here's just one of them. #Edusky #EduskyUK

000

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

While you've been getting into the swing of the new term, I snuck away for a few days peace and quiet in Wales. It drizzled a bit, but the landscape was absolutely lovely. Back at work now - helping schools support their perimenopausal and menopausal staff.

050

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

1/3 Sometimes we just have to go through it. Menopause. A bad day. An exhausting term. There's an essential wisdom in Michael Rosen's Bear Hunt. Sometimes there is no way round, no way over, no way under. Some things we have to go through. #Edusky #EduskyUk

141

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

1/2 How's your Menopause Action Plan? It's mandatory next April for organisations with more than 250 employees. It's a really good framework for everyone else. helenclare.substack.com/p/menopause-... #Edusky #EduskyUK

helenclare.substack.com

Menopause Action Plans

What does the government have to say

110

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

1/5 Honestly, I don't love Pilates. I can get bored. I can get frustrated by the precision. Sometimes it's surprisingly hard work. But it turns out that Pilates loves me!

111

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I know how terrifying this is. Menstrual flooding is a real problem in perimenopause. You might get a moment's warning and then it's off. Sometimes it overwhelms any protection you had in place - or it's been so long since a bleed that you haven't got your supplies in school.

000

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Brain fog, memory loss, anxiety, mood swings, unpredictable bleeding, joint pain, bowel and bladder dysfunction. Hot flushes are the the least of it - although they can be extremely debilitating especially if they disturb sleep. #Edusky #EduskyUK

100

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Imagine going through menopause in schools wasn't a big deal. Imagine that everyone was prepared to recognise it. Imagine everyone knew how to ride out the mood changes. Imagine everyone knew how to cope with the weird memory glitches.

001

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

A new school year and menopause still hasn't gone away. For every member of staff coming to the other end or learning to cope with it, there'll be another going into perimenopause and wondering what the heck is going on! www.rfr.bz/b03f2bf85

rfr.bz

Quick chat (15 minutes) - Helen Clare

Quick chat (15 minutes)

100

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

How are you going to get ahead of menopause this year? Here are some ways of making sure your staff going through perimenopause and menopause have the support they need to keep on doing the jobs they love in the way we know they can. #Edusky #EduskyUK

110

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

One of the things that comes up time and time again in sessions in schools is perimenopausal weight gain. Schools can be a tough place to lose weight. Squeezed breaks and lunch, eating on the go, stress and sleepless nights... helenclare.substack.com/p/perimenopa... #Edusky #EduskyUK

helenclare.substack.com

Perimenopause and Weight

And the realities of working in a school

110

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

1/4 The best kept secret about surviving peri/menopause in a school? It's all about you! Yes, really. In lots of ways. Firstly, this experience is unique to you. #Edusky #EduskyUK

100

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

1/2 I hope the first week back is going well. According to The Sleep Charity, bananas help you sleep because they are a source of magnesium, potassium, and tryptophan. Remember that waking up is not the problem. #Edusky #EduskyUK

160

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

1/3 How do we manage perimenopausal memory losses before they increase anxiety and damage confidence? We use our tech. Maybe it's a watch that vibrates when you need to be somewhere or a tablet with your plans and reminders on. And all the lists! #Edusky #EduskyUK

142

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

1/3 The first day back can be tough if your perimenopausal brain is whirring in overdrive. What might once have felt like anticipation now feels like anxiety - and perimenopausal anxiety is like no anxiety you have felt before. But you can switch it back into excitement. #Edusky #EduskyUK

132

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

1/4 The headlines always make this sound clearer than it is! This study definitely adds to the information we have - but it's a statistical analysis on Biobank data, so it's a correlation which might have other causes. news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-h...

news.exeter.ac.uk

HRT linked to lower dementia risk in large UK study

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may reduce the risk of dementia, particularly for certain groups of women - according to a study from the University of East Anglia and the University of Exeter.Resea...

110

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

1/2 Conversations about menopause can be a minefield - especially if either side feels untrusting, uncertain or unheard. A big part of my work is making sure school leaders are ready to handle those conversations. #Edusky #EduskyUK

220

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Doesn't matter how much you love your job. Getting back to it after the school holidays feels big! Those jitters can be amplified by perimenopausal anxiety. #Edusky #EduskyUK helenclare.substack.com/p/once-more-...

helenclare.substack.com

Once more unto the breach…

Surviving Peri/menopause in school for another year!

100

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

1/4 We could do without it right? Especially when we're in the middle of building our school career. Suddenly our brain doesn't work when we most need it to. Our calm is shattered as our moods are all over the place. #Edusky #EduskyUK

110

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

1/4 This has been an interesting read. There's definitely an interaction between ADHD and perimenopause. People with ADHD can find that perimenopause comes early and is harder work. Others find that perimenopause unmasks previously well managed ADHD. #Edusky #EduskyUK

110

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

1/3 There are so many reasons that school staff don't talk to SLT about their menopause symptoms - even when they are debilitating and making their jobs really hard. - they may not realise that their disparate group of weird symptoms is perimenopause

121

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

1/2 New School Year Anxiety kicking in? Is your peri/menopausal brain adding an extra twist to those whirring thoughts? Have you figured how you're going to make the next year just a little easier on your peri/menopausal body while giving your brain time to chill? #Edusky #EduskyUK

140

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

1/3 It's a combinations of commitment and stubbornness. We keep going come what may. But come perimenopause that grit may not be enough. When we are dealing with memory loss, brain fog, fatigue, unpredictable bleeding, dodgy bladders, hot flushes and . #Edusky #EduskyUK

120

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

For those of you that haven't met me yet, I'm Helen and I help schools support their staff through perimenopause and menopause so that they can keep on doing the jobs they love in the way we know they can. #Edusky #EduskyUK

012

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

We take our vaginas to work! Genito-urinary syndrome of Menopause (GUSM) can make our working day difficult and exhausting. Vaginal oestrogen helps symptoms and for many of us, it's life-changing. helenclare.substack.com/p/in-praise-... #Edusky #EduskyUK

helenclare.substack.com

In Praise of Vaginal Oestrogen

Not just your vag...

000

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

1/3 I waited half my life to be old enough to be taken seriously. I thought I'd reach a certain age and gain 'gravitas' so that I would never be dismissed, ignored or simply unheard.

111

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

1/2 With the change in the weather, that feeling of summer's end is everywhere. It's bittersweet. There's something comforting about familiar patterns, familiar faces and a revival of ambitions and passions. But at the same time, we know it's going to be a lot.

100

Helen Clare @menopauseinschools.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

1/3 Teaching's all about confidence. Confidence that you know what you are doing. Confidence that you know your subject matter. Confidence that you can run your classroom. Confidence that you can manage your class. #Edusky #EduskyUK

242