The Glossop-based agent was 38 when she first experienced symptoms of the hormonal shift, which left her feeling “numb” and “disconnected” from her surroundings.
“I’d always been on top of things, but suddenly, I was always extremely tired, flat and overwhelmed with anxiety,” she said. “Alongside that, I started bleeding heavily, something I’d never had before.”
Doctors, however, dismissed the possibility of perimenopause – despite Edmunds’ history of depleted egg reserves, which is commonly linked to the condition.
Her GP eventually advised her to try the Mirena coil, a small T-shaped device which releases a low dose of progestogen into the uterus.
“I couldn’t believe the difference, it was brilliant,” Edmunds said. “Within 72 hours I had what I can only describe as a ‘ping, I’m back in the room’ moment.”
‘Stolen self’
But this positive outcome wasn’t to last. The brain fog and anxiety returned four years later, and once again, rendered Edmunds unable to function.
“It was like someone had stolen me,” she said, recalling how the symptoms negatively impacted her career as a travel advisor.
“Before this happened, I always took everything in my stride. I used to know exactly what I was doing on weekends up until the end of the year, and now I couldn’t even remember what I was doing for the coming weekend.”
These symptoms also affected Edmunds’ relationship with her husband, who couldn’t understand why her personality had dchanged drastically. “I was so unlike myself,” she said. “It put such a strain on our marriage.”
From here, the situation only went from bad to worse. Edmunds’ coil was refitted incorrectly twice, causing the hormones to be released into the wrong part of her uterus.
“For two years straight, I was bleeding constantly,” she said.
When Edmunds finally had the device removed for good, she found herself plunged back into inescapable “nothingness”.
“I was living in a void,” she said. “I love running, and running suddenly felt like trying to move through treacle.”
‘Taking matters into my own hands’
After three years of “fighting with the NHS”, Edmunds decided to seek private medical treatment.
“It was just referral after referral, and there were so many cancellations,” she said. “I’d had enough and felt I had no choice but to take matters into my own hands.”
It was this decision that would completely change Edmunds’ life.
Within a week of her first appointment, she’d had a hysterectomy scheduled for two months later. The keyhole surgery uncovered endometritis and extensive fibroids, the latter of which had affected Edmunds’ mother, aunt and cousin.
“Given my family history, alongside the bleeding and what I now recognise as perimenopausal symptoms, I cannot help feeling my concerns should have been taken more seriously, much earlier,” she said.
‘For future generations’
Now two years on from her hysterectomy, Edmunds’ post-operation life looks totally different.
“I just feel like myself again,” she said.
Today, Edmunds is keen to ensure future generations of women don’t endure this same suffering.
As part of her commitment to raising awareness for menopause wellbeing, she has shared her testimony in Ambitions Travel Recruitment’s new Menopause at Work Guide, which went live last week.
The free resource is split into two parts, with the first covering everything from the symptoms of perimenopause, menopause and post menopause to preparing for a GP appointment and accessing treatments like HRT and vaginal oestrogen.
The second part is aimed at travel employers, and includes guidelines on menopause policies, legal obligations and adapting work environments.
Speaking to TTG, Ambitions Travel Recruitment founder Fi Morrison-Arnthal explained the inspiration behind the guide:
“I asked people across the travel industry whether their employer had a menopause policy. Only one in five said yes. Nearly two thirds said no, and the rest didn’t.
“HR writes policies for all sorts of things that might happen to somebody. This is going to happen to every single woman in the business. There’s no preparation, no discussion, no support, and you’re left feeling it's just something you have to put up with. And believe me, it is hard.
“What strikes me is that HR is a profession made up of many women. These are the people best placed to fix it. I don't think it’s unwillingness. I think nobody has handed them anything to work from. That's what this guide is.”
From spring 2027, employers with 250 or more staff must publish an action plan addressing menopause. At least two chosen actions must be new or currently in development; simply restating existing policies does not fulfill the requirement.
But Edmunds believes this isn’t enough. Currently, around one in ten women who’ve worked through the menopause have left their jobs due to symptoms.
She is calling on travel companies to launch internal menopause support networks, highlighting how invaluable her Travel Counsellors affinity group has been in helping her and her fellow homeworkers navigate symptoms.
“We’ve got a WhatsApp group of about a dozen people, and we’re all there to assist one another with out-of-office cover and urgent enquiries,” she said.
Edmunds is also confident the conversation around menopause support is on an upward trajectory, noting “all the noise” around the subject over the past 10 years.
“I really think it’s only going to improve,” she said. “It’s all about passing on the knowledge, so that the next generation don’t have to suffer.”
