Monique Wragg
Co-founder Feminapause
Adele Wragg
Co-founder Feminapause
Adele found a natural menopause treatment that worked for her, and now she and her two daughters are working to share it with other women.
As an investment portfolio manager in London’s finance sector, Adele regularly held presentations in a male-dominated environment. But then suddenly it made her uncomfortable.
“Standing there I felt increasingly hot and anxious, but I couldn’t say anything about it to a room full of men,” says Adele.
She was also experiencing other symptoms. “Night sweats were stopping me from sleeping, I was moody and irritable, and even though I’ve always been quite sporty and used to be a professional dancer, my physical and mental energy started falling. I was just not feeling like myself.”
Mystified, Adele saw her GP and blood tests showed the changes were due to the menopause.
“I thought it was stress!” says Adele. She considered HRT patches but was surprised to find it was unavailable at the time, so she looked for natural alternatives.
“Like many former dancers, I have arthritis, so I tried CBD to ease my painful joints, but I found it helped my menopause symptoms too,” says Adele. She then discovered that vitamin B12 helped combat lack of energy, so she supplemented the CBD with vitamin B12. “The combination transformed my life,” she says.
It didn’t take long for Adele to start feeling like herself again. She’s returned to the gym and hot sweats are a thing of the past. “I’m less short-tempered and the brain fog has lifted.”
The birth of a business
Adele and her two daughters recognise that every woman’s menopause journey is unique and many other women are looking for a more natural approach, so they created a natural herbal supplement called Feminapause.
Adele’s daughter Monique says: “It combines British-manufactured, laboratory certified CBD oil and vitamin B12. A vitamin B12 deficiency, which occurs in many people over 50 is linked to insomnia, lack of energy, memory loss, fatigue, weakness and sleep deprivation. We also added vitamin B6 for its hormone balancing effect.”
The supplement aims to relieve the symptoms of the menopause and peri-menopause and contains no artificial hormones. The feedback they have received is astounding with over 700 positive reviews to date.
Many women feel ashamed to admit they have symptoms because it was a taboo subject in the past.
By women, for women
“We are a family business founded and run by women, and almost all of our customers are women,” says Adele. Marketing graduate Monique is in her 20s but uses the supplement for its anti-anxiety effects. The third partner in the business is Adele’s other daughter Juliette, who has a background in fitness and nutrition.
Adele adds: “Everyone’s experience of menopause is different, and symptoms can vary a lot, but as I am going through the menopause myself, I can really empathise with the ladies who contact us. Many of them tell heartbreaking personal stories of the devastating effects the menopause has on their lives and those of their families.”
Monique says: “Many women feel ashamed to admit they have symptoms because it was a taboo subject in the past. Some women feel confused and like they are not doing ‘the right thing’ which feeds anxiety and low self-esteem.”
Surge of enquiries
There has been a surge of enquiries as furlough ends. “Ladies are looking to natural products to help reduce the anxiety they feel about returning to work,” says Adele.
“Husbands and even sons have contacted us looking for help for their wives and mums. It’s wonderful to see this compassion and shows a greater awareness of the issues that menopause presents.”
Monique adds: “It’s also gratifying to see more acknowledgement of the problems women with menopause symptoms face in the workplace. From being something no-one talked about, it’s something that is gaining greater awareness – and we are delighted to be a part of that.”
