ELLESMERE PORT, UK — The daughter of a woman who took her own life after struggling with the effects of menopause says she believes her mother might still be alive today if she had received the right support and treatment.

Helen McGraw, from Ellesmere Port, sought help from her GP after experiencing significant physical and emotional changes during menopause. She was prescribed antidepressants after telling doctors she felt she was beginning to “lose herself.” In 2021, Helen died by suicide.

Her daughter, Heather Wilson, said menopause had affected her mother’s sense of identity as well as her relationships with friends and family. Alongside hot flushes, Helen experienced skin changes and hair loss, while struggling with the wider emotional impact of the transition.

“There was so many different things going on with her body,” Heather said. “Obviously there was all the usual things that you hear about like the hot flushes. She had lots of changes going on over her skin, difficulty with hair loss. I think it was just… all of it was just too much to her.”

Heather said her mother had repeatedly sought medical help but felt trapped between different services. On the morning of her death, Helen contacted a crisis line and was advised to attend A&E. However, Heather said her mother believed she had already followed that advice before and had repeatedly been directed back to her GP.

“Every time she went to A&E, they told her to talk to her GP and she was just stuck in a cycle that she couldn’t break,” Heather said. “She just couldn’t get that help that she needed.”

Heather believes menopause was only one of several factors that contributed to her mother’s death, but she said the appropriate support at the right time could have made a difference.

The case comes as researchers at Liverpool John Moores University examined the relationship between menopause, mental health and suicidal thoughts. The study involved more than 1,000 women experiencing menopause and examined symptoms including depression, distress and suicidal thinking, as well as the potential impact of hormone replacement therapy, or HRT.

According to the research, suicidal thoughts among menopausal women fell by 92% after they were prescribed HRT. Researchers said the findings suggest wider access to appropriate HRT treatment could help reduce suffering and potentially save lives.

Dr Olivia Hendriks, one of the researchers, said she had spoken to women who had made multiple suicide attempts and been admitted to psychiatric wards. Some reported feeling significantly better after starting HRT, she said.

The research also found that one in six women experiencing difficulties associated with menopause were either misdiagnosed or offered antidepressants instead of being offered HRT.

Professor Pooja Saini, another researcher involved in the project, said outdated concerns about the safety of HRT may have contributed to doctors being reluctant to prescribe it. She pointed to research published in 2002 that raised concerns about a possible link between HRT and cancer, saying those findings had since been challenged by subsequent research.

The researchers also highlighted wider concerns about the lack of research into women’s health. Professor Saini, who has worked in the field for two decades, said studies focusing on female health had been difficult to publish and argued that more research was needed.

Suicide rates among women are reported in the programme as peaking between the ages of 45 and 54, the same period in which menopause commonly occurs. The researchers said the findings underline the importance of recognising the possible links between menopausal symptoms and mental health and ensuring women receive appropriate support.

SOURCE: ITV Granada Reports, Mel Barham, September 21, 2026.