In a world where silence still cloaks women’s experiences, Dr Sadia Malick offers an unfiltered voice of truth, compassion and empowerment. As a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist with over thirty years of experience, Dr Sadia’s mission is clear. She wants to ensure no woman faces menopause in isolation or shame.
We were lucky enough to talk with Dr Sadia Malick on Instagram Live from Riyadh. From the West Midlands to Dubai, from private clinics to intimate tea gatherings, her message resounds across borders and beliefs. In her words we find both clarity and comfort.
Why We Stay Silent
“We women have been told to be strong. And I think that is across cultures… you cannot just raise your hand and say actually I do not feel strong at all.”
Dr Sadia reflects on a recurring pattern. From girlhood to midlife, women are taught to endure. To succeed quietly. To hold households and careers together without pause. This enduring silence follows many into perimenopause and beyond. The belief that strength means never admitting struggle keeps women suffering privately.
In her clinics she sees the cost of that silence every day. It is time to rewrite the script.
Cultural Barriers to Help
Dr Sadia speaks candidly about the language and symbolism attached to menopause in various cultures.
“Culturally the word used for menopause translates into the years of sadness. Imagine saying to your doctor ‘I have just entered the years of sadness can you help me’”
That naming, that framing, feeds shame. It paints natural hormonal changes as decline rather than transition. Dr Sadia’s perspective shows us how deep‑rooted beliefs can prevent even the first step which is asking for help.
“If your mother and grandmother never complained about it you question yourself. Am I weaker? Am I broken?”
It is not just biology. It is legacy. And undoing that legacy starts with awareness.
Talk to Your Mother
“If you tell me correctly when your mother had menopause I can almost predict yours. We reflect our mother’s genetics.”
One of the simplest yet most powerful conversations a woman can have is with her mother. When did she reach menopause? What were her symptoms? Was she supported? Yet most women never ask.
Dr Sadia encourages this generational dialogue. Beyond medical insight it offers recognition that a mother’s hot flushes and mood swings were not invisible. That her strength is now shared knowledge.
“We will not have a scientific breakthrough today but if even one woman asks her mother ‘Did you suffer’ that is something.”
The Hormone Controversy
Many women fear hormone replacement therapy because of long‑standing myths. Dr Sadia does not shy away from naming the problem.
“Hormone replacement therapy is equal to breast cancer in many people’s minds. That is the biggest problem.”
She references the now‑debunked interpretations of the Women’s Health Initiative study. That landmark research led to global panic about hormone therapy and breast cancer. Yet few people know one of its findings was that the oestrogen‑only arm actually showed a forty‑percent reduction in breast cancer.
“This is the most hidden finding. The study people use to say hormone therapy causes cancer actually shows the opposite in many cases.”
For women hesitant about hormone therapy Dr Sadia recommends evidence‑based resources. The British Menopause Society provides infographics and summaries to help replace fear with facts.
Women Need to Lead Each Other
“We are celebrating menopause but we have only scratched the surface. I do not think we are reaching the women who need solutions.”
According to Dr Sadia change must come from within communities. Cultural sensitivity peer leadership and open conversation are the keys to transformation.
“We need leadership from the same community. Women they trust speaking their language knowing their world.”
She envisions a grassroots shift led by women for women. In this every listener becomes a potential advocate.
Start With Tea
What does a revolution in women’s health look like? Sometimes it starts with a cup of tea.
“I tell my patients make a group in your home. Invite friends you trust. I will join you and we will talk.”
These informal safe gatherings bypass stigma. Women ask questions without fear. They laugh cry and connect. Real change often begins not in hospitals but in homes.
Dr Sadia has already reached women who would never set foot in a clinic. That ripple continues to grow.
The Role of Men
“I want the men to say darling when is your next pap smear?”
Men are often left out of menopause conversations but Dr Sadia believes their role is vital. Whether they are partners, doctors or family, men’s support can transform a woman’s journey.
In one striking example she describes a highly accomplished male doctor who feared his wife was being harmed by hormone therapy. After a conversation he thanked Dr Sadia for giving him more understanding than any website could.
The takeaway? Invite men in. Do not educate only women.
Medical Training Matters
Dr Sadia’s guidance extends to her own medical students.
“One of my residents could not ask a personal question in a history. That is where training begins. Learning to open space for others.”
She believes doctors must be taught not just science but empathy. A woman suffering in silence needs a clinician who can recognise unspoken pain. Without that care falls short.
Mind and Mood. The Unspoken Taboo
“After menopause one in three women will experience cardiovascular disease or psychiatric illness. We must talk about both.”
The physical effects of menopause are widely known: hot flushes, joint pain, sleep disruption. But mental health often remains hidden.
“It begins with sadness anger or unhappiness. Left unspoken it becomes illness.”
Women may find it easier to say their shoulder hurts than to admit they feel broken. Dr Sadia believes these conversations must be normalised in every setting not just therapy rooms.
She points to alarming statistics: the highest suicide rate among British women is around age 51. That is not coincidence. It is unmet need.
A Simple Prescription. Write It Down
“Every patient of mine must write. If you are a writer write. If you are a typer type. But do it.”
Dr Sadia encourages journalling as both self‑discovery and diagnosis. Women list their top three problems even if those are husband child or in‑laws. She never reads them. The power lies in the act itself.
“Open your heart to yourself. Then you will see the way forward.”
Writing creates clarity. It honours what has been unnamed. It is the first brave step toward help.
The One Hour Rule
“Every woman must steal one hour a day. It belongs only to you.”
This is one of Dr Sadia’s most cherished prescriptions. An hour not for children not for husbands not for work. Just for self.
Some find it a struggle to fill the whole hour, but that hour rebuilds everything. Without it, women become hollowed out.
Self‑care is not indulgence. It is survival.
Bone Deep. Preventing Osteoporosis
“One in two women will break a bone after menopause. We have only one FDA approved drug to prevent it. Oestrogen.”
Dr Sadia’s advocacy is not just emotional. It is deeply scientific. She tells the story of a woman who cared for her own mother whose spine was shattered by osteoporosis. That woman’s fear fuelled her own proactive care.
Now aged seventy‑two she started hormone therapy in perimenopause. Today her bone density scans are normal. For her it is not just data. It is freedom from fear. And for Dr Sadia it is validation that prevention works.
Never Too Late
“This woman is taking oestrogen at seventy two. That is her journey. Everyone’s path is different.”
There is no deadline for care. Whether a woman is forty‑two or seventy‑two her symptoms and story matter. Dr Sadia encourages informed choice not shame or rigidity.
Mental Health and Menopause Must Be One Conversation
“Every time I talk about menopause from now on I will talk about mental health too.”
This was her promise. Menopause and mental wellbeing are inseparable. Yet too often they are treated as distinct.
She points to the link between unresolved sadness and later breakdown. Without acknowledgement, symptoms can worsen. But with empathy they can heal.
The Final Word. Wisdom Is a Superpower
“Ageing is not depression. You have got the superpower of wisdom.”
This is the cultural shift Dr Sadia dreams of. Not seeing midlife as decline but as awakening. Not as loss but gain.
“Imagine being twenty three again. I do not want to be twenty three. I was silly at twenty three. Now I am wise. That is my power.”
Dr Sadia Malick divides women not by race or religion but by three simple groups: those under forty, those forty to fifty and those over fifty. In each group she sees shared challenges and shared strength.
“We are not poles apart. We are deeply the same.”
Let this be the message every woman hears. Menopause is not the end of youth. It is the beginning of knowing yourself. And you are not alone.
Thank you Dr Malick for enlightening us.
Get in touch with Dr Sadia Malick
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Website: www.drsadiamalick.com
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Instagram: @drsadiamalick
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Email: info@drsadiamalick.com
