Celebrating Progress and Achievements in 2025

December 30, 2025

Celebrating Our 2025 Achievements at TWHC: A Year of Growth, Innovation & Women’s Health Leadership 

By Dr Ginny Ponsford


As women’s health continues to take centre stage in both the medical community and public conversation, 2025 has been an extraordinary year of progress at The Women’s Hormone Clinic (TWHC). From expanding our clinical team to launching new services and strengthening our role in community education, this year has been defined by growth, innovation, and a commitment to empowering women at every stage of their health journey.

 

A Year Marked by New Services & Stronger Care

In 2025, we introduced our new weight loss and metabolic health service, designed to support women experiencing cardiometabolic shifts during midlife hormonal changes. This service integrates our deep understanding of hormonal health with evidence-based strategies for weight management, insulin resistance, and heart health.

 

We also launched our redesigned website, making it easier for women to access vital information, navigate our services, and book appointments with our clinicians.

 

Our partnerships grew too: from becoming Klira Professional prescribers, offering personalised prescription strength skincare, to deepening relationships with wellness organisations across Sussex and beyond.

 

A Growing, Expert Clinical Team 

We were thrilled to welcome two exceptional new doctors, Dr Becky Saadian and Dr Louise Horrocks, both bringing years of experience in medicine and women’s health. Their dedication to evidence based, individualised care has strengthened our ability to serve more women with specialist support.

 

This year also saw major professional milestones within our team:

Dr Saadian completed the BMS Advanced Certificate in Menopause Care, placing her among a small cohort of highly trained menopause specialists in the UK.  Ongoing training with the British Menopause Society and the Marion Gluck Training Academy ensures our clinicians remain aligned with the most up to date evidence in hormone health and menopause care. 


Championing Women’s Health Through Education & Community Engagement 

Education and outreach remained central to our mission. Across the year, our clinicians delivered workshops, lectures, fitness studio sessions, workplace menopause talks, and community wellness events—all designed to empower women with the knowledge needed to navigate PMS, PMDD, perimenopause, menopause, and hormonal wellbeing.
These included: 

  • Dr Poet has strengthened her relationship with Sally Gunnell’s Life’s Hurdle group, working alongside an inspiring community of women all committed to strengthening their health and well-being. 
  • Free educational menopause workshops across gyms, yoga studios, and wellness festivals 
  • Talks for NHS patients, GP trainees and employers. 
  • Instagram Live Q&A sessions with trusted partners like Nudi Spray, helping women understand HRT and skincare options with confidence.

Collectively, these efforts have helped hundreds of women feel better informed, better supported, and better prepared to advocate for their own health.


Advocacy & Progress in the Wider World of Menopause Care 

2025 also represented a turning point for women's health globally: 

  • Lifestyle medicine and its role in hormone support was formally recognised on International Menopause Day. 
  • New combination patches and progestogen options became available, giving clinicians more flexibility for personalised hormone therapy. 
  • Two inaugural awareness days were launched: National POI Day and World Menopause and Cancer Awareness Day, increasing recognition for underdiscussed hormonal conditions. 
  • The FDA removed the black box warnings from select HRT products, helping reverse decades of stigma and misinformation. 
  • The NHS announced menopause checks, beginning next year, which promises earlier support for many women experiencing symptoms.


These milestones reflect long awaited progress in the global conversation around women’s hormonal health—progress we are proud to champion in our clinical work every day.


Looking Ahead to 2026: Expanding Access & Innovation 

We have bold plans for the year ahead, including: 

  • Larger, more accessible educational workshops for younger women navigating PMS, PMDD, PCOS, and endometriosis. 
  • A new schedule of Instagram Lives with trusted partners. 
  • The introduction of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic services, including the Ziwig endometriosis test, BRCA testing, and personalised genetic screening for skin, hair, and nutrition. 
  • Hormone based prescription skincare tailored to women’s specific dermatological needs.
  • ...and yes—a goal shared by clinicians everywhere—learning to create an Instagram post in under three hours! 


A Final Word of Thanks 

As 2025 draws to a close, we want to express heartfelt thanks to all the women who placed their trust in us this year. Whether through appointments, workshops, emails, or community events, supporting you across your health journeys remains our greatest privilege. 

Here’s to a healthy, empowered, and inspiring 2026—for our clinic, our community, and women everywhere. 

 

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Premenstrual Syndrome: Taking Back Control

November 17, 2025
Do you ever feel anxious, irritable and overwhelmed in the run up to your period? Do you think it's hard to control your temper and feel just not like yourself? These are common signs of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) which is a term used to describe a number of physical and emotional symptoms you may experience in the run up to your period. The exact cause is not clearly understood but it is thought to be due to a change in your hormone levels in the second half of your cycle. Notably a rapid fall in the level of progesterone, (our soothing, calming, and relaxing hormone), could very well be at play. For some women, the first time they really begin to notice symptoms of PMS is as they enter the perimenopause as their natural hormones, and in particular, their progesterone levels begin to fall. For others, as they hit perimenopause, their lifelong PMS symptoms become more intense and start to appear earlier and earlier in their cycle. It is really important to acknowledge the enormous impact that these symptoms can have on a woman’s life and the impact they can have on those around them at home and in the workplace. So what can we do about it? In all cases, whether perimenopausal or not, following a healthy diet that focuses on maintaining a well-balanced blood sugar is vital. Regular exercise, minimising alcohol intake and getting sufficient sleep as well as taking supplements such as magnesium and B vitamins will also help. If anxiety is a major factor then a daily supplement of Ashwagandha can be very beneficial. For moderate PMS, supplementary progesterone therapy in the second half of the cycle can be extremely beneficial. In some cases, overriding the body’s natural cycle with a body-identical combined contraceptive pill such as Zoely, taken with no breaks brings relief. In other cases, hormone replacement therapy involving natural oestrogen and progesterone is used. Whether PMS has always been a part of your life and you’d like to take back control, or if you have developed cyclical mood changes more recently and want to understand what is happening and how to tackle it, our specialist clinicians are ready to listen. We are able to help you find the right strategy whatever your stage of life.

World Mental Health Day

November 17, 2025
On World Mental Health Day we want to draw your attention to the critical role that your hormones play in your mental health. The hormonal changes we experience during the perimenopause and menopause can have a profound effect on our mental health, with depression, anxiety, mood swings, and loss of self-esteem and confidence being extremely common. Women commonly describe losing their sense of self and this can have a significant impact on their relationships both at work and at home. Fluctuations in hormone levels including oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone can have a direct effect on our mood. In particular, progesterone is an anti-anxiety hormone that is important for sleep, whilst testosterone is known to elevate the mood and boost stamina. We must also not underestimate the effects that changes in body shape, fertility and the quality of sleep can have on our mood and self-esteem. Regulating hormone levels during this time with hormone replacement therapy is a very effective way to tackle the mental health issues associated with this time in a woman’s life and can be far more effective than traditional antidepressant medications. Lifestyle interventions such as exercise, dietary changes, and reducing alcohol intake are also very important.  Above all it is important to remember you are not alone and there is help available either via your GP, a specialist hormone clinic , or via support charities such as the Samaritans.