HRT and breast cancer fears — the real talk women are having about how hormone replacement therapy has genuinely changed their lives. Plus: a listener's husband won't explain a mysterious £600 missing from their joint account ("I can't say who it's for"), and Clare has an epiphany about being completely done wanting "sexy" on holiday — she just wants a spa, room service, and nobody touching her or asking where anything is. This week on 40ish, Lauren and Nicole talk perimenopause, menopause, midlife marriage secrets, financial infidelity, and why "sexy hotel" era is officially over for some of us. Also: 70 metres of medieval embroidery nearly ends a friendship (Lauren does NOT care about the Bayeux Tapestry, Nicole is obsessed). Tell us your most 40ish moment — you know you've got one. [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A quick one from us today just letting you know we will be back on Thursday! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on 40ish, Lauren and Nicole spill the behind-the-scenes gossip from their live show, where, as you'd expect, absolutely anything can happen once they're let loose in front of an audience. A listener takes a passionate stand in the great midlife shorts debate. Strong legs? Absolutely. Thigh chafing, uncomfortable wedges and feeling like a busted can of biscuits? Not a chance. Then comes a dilemma that has Lauren and Nicole in stitches. After 23 years of marriage, one listener's husband decides to shave off all his pubic hair just days before they head to Spain. Is it simply a practical way to stay cool? A midlife confidence boost? Or enough to send anyone's overthinking into overdrive? The conversation quickly turns to their shared appreciation of hairy cavemen and why absolutely nobody wants their husband looking like an unusually tall newborn. If you love funny podcasts about midlife, relationships, marriage, menopause, fashion and the everyday chaos of life after 40, this episode is for you. If you're loving 40ish, please follow the podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with a friend who'll laugh right along with you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on 40ish: Nicole needs to be treated like an unsettled baby until her implant kicks in and Lauren discovers cycling shorts are not just for fancy dress. In Midlife News, we unpack the research behind the UK's rising divorce rate and why so many women in their 40s and 50s are choosing to walk away from their marriages. Is it really about falling out of love, or are women finally reaching breaking point with carrying the mental load? Our dilemma this week asks what friendship looks like when life gets tough. One listener ended up in A&E after a nasty fall, but apart from one friend, hardly anyone checked in. Is she right to feel hurt, or are expectations around friendship sometimes too high? Lauren also shares her latest meltdown after a broken bracelet and Nicole decides her superstitious brain is in overdrive. Finally, we hear from a listener whose mother-in-law simply cannot stop commenting on her postpartum body. From backhanded compliments to unsolicited weight-loss advice, we ask the question: why do some people think a woman's body is fair game for public discussion? If you're enjoying 40ish, please share the podcast with a friend. 40ish is the funny podcast for midlife women navigating menopause, perimenopause, relationships, confidence, hormones and everything else life throws at women over 40. Topics discussed:• Midlife divorce• Grey divorce• Mental load in relationships• Emotional labour• Women's friendships• Loneliness in midlife• Women over 40• Body confidence• Relationships after 40• Menopause humour 💛 If you're enjoying 40ish, please follow, rate and review the podcast, and share it with a friend who'll laugh along with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on 40ish, Lauren discovers that Mah Jong, tea and cake might actually be peak midlife entertainment, while Nicole has an unexpected tantrum on the padel court. We hear from a listener who says finally being prescribed testosterone during menopause helped her feel like herself again, boosted her confidence, improved her libido and even made her like her husband again. We discuss testosterone for women, perimenopause, menopause symptoms and why hormones can have such a huge impact on how we feel. In Midlife News, we explore why so many women over 40 feel like they have nothing to wear. Is it really about clothes, or is it changing bodies, confidence, hormones and learning to dress the person we've become? Our listener dilemma sparks a lively conversation about ADHD in women, relationships and the mental load after one woman's husband comes home from a wedding convinced she has ADHD following a lengthy chat with his female best friend. Plus, Lauren's spectacular meltdown involves the dog throwing up a raw meat fountain onto the carpet, and we ask when exactly your neighbour's cat quietly becomes everyone else's responsibility. 40ish is the funny podcast for midlife women navigating menopause, perimenopause, hormones, relationships, confidence and everything else life throws at women over 40. Topics discussed:• Testosterone for women• Menopause and hormones• Perimenopause• Women's libido• ADHD in women• Midlife confidence• Body image after 40• Relationships and mental load• Women over 40• Menopause humour 💛 Follow us on Substack: The Midlife Club If you're enjoying 40ish, please follow, rate and review the podcast, and share it with a friend who'll laugh along with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on 40ish, Nicole is having a hair moan, because apparently menopausal hair now requires its own emotional support team. Lauren is not helping. We also get into your feedback on whether it’s normal or deeply unhinged to track your husband’s location. Opinions are strong and polarising but our favourite is from a husband who says he’s usually in the loo. In Midlife News, we discuss a new study suggesting poor sleep in midlife can have long-term effects on women’s wellbeing. So basically, yes, your snoring husband may be a legitimate health risk. This week’s dilemma comes from a 47-year-old listener who feels drained, disconnected and completely unlike herself. She asks if she’s alone - answer - no way! Plus, we have a meltdown from a woman whose Canadian gynaecologist with a very niche sense of humour. Come for the fun, stay because you’re too tired to leave. Buy tickets to our live show here: https://podlifeevents.com/event-details/40ish-live-show-5-jul-2026-tickets You can now follow us on Substack! https://open.substack.com/pub/bethlisogorsky/p/off-campus-season-one-prime-review?r=7u0jz7&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=split Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on 40ish, Nicole brings a Hogman update direct from the gym and somehow ends up discussing the workout routine of a man called Brian, while Lauren takes her first steps into the world of Substack. We tackle a listener dilemma that every British woman will understand. What do you do when you notice someone's leggings are completely see-through at the gym? Say something and risk the embarrassment, or stay silent and hope someone else steps in? We also hear from a 45-year-old woman who was unexpectedly hurt after being "rated" by a group of teenage boys in a pub. It sparks a bigger conversation about confidence, ageing, body image and why external validation can still affect us in midlife, even when we know it shouldn't. In Midlife News, we discuss new research exploring women's libido, testosterone and sexual desire, and whether hormones are really the key to a healthy sex life. We unpack what the latest findings could mean for women navigating perimenopause, menopause and changing relationships. Meanwhile, a listener from Tennessee experiences every woman's worst nightmare when a missing handbag triggers a full-scale supermarket search involving staff, customers and rising panic, only for the bag to be discovered hanging from a friend's shoulder the entire time. 40ish is the funny podcast for midlife women navigating menopause, perimenopause, ageing, relationships, confidence and everything else life throws at women over 40. Topics discussed:• Women's libido and sexual desire• Testosterone and menopause• Perimenopause and hormones• Confidence in midlife• Body image and ageing• Women over 40• Self-esteem and validation• Gym anxiety• Midlife friendships• Menopause humour 🎟️ Buy tickets to our live show:https://podlifeevents.com/event-details/40ish-live-show-5-jul-2026-tickets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode of 40ish, Nicole and Lauren tackle some of the biggest midlife challenges facing women today: people pleasing, setting boundaries, emotional overload and the reality of being part of the sandwich generation. Alongside the usual chaos, they discuss AI destroying garden dreams, accidental Instagram business strategies, makeup storage meltdowns, Temu temptations and why a packet of Liquorice Allsorts might be the secret to happiness after 40. A listener shares her journey of finally stopping shrinking herself to make everyone else comfortable, while another opens up about the resentment and exhaustion that can come from caring for ageing parents, children and everyone else's emotions at the same time. If you're navigating perimenopause, menopause, midlife burnout, people pleasing, family boundaries, confidence after 40 or simply trying to survive adulthood with your sense of humour intact, this episode is for you. 40ish is the funny podcast for midlife women navigating menopause, perimenopause, ageing, relationships, confidence and everything else life throws at women over 40. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here is the link to our live show! We hope you can join us 🙏🏻https://podlifeevents.com/event-details/40ish-live-show-5-jul-2026-ticketsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/40ish-laughing-our-way-through-midlife-perimenopause-menopause--6942825/support.We love to hear from you! Get in touch with your dilemmas and rants.DM & follow us on Instagram   TikTokOrder Our Book here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On todays episode of 40ish: Nicole is losing her mind over losing absolutely everything she owns, while Lauren is deeply disturbed by the algorithm's insistence that she might be in the market for itchy anus remedies. We hear from a listener who has accidentally become a midlife music sensation, discuss why women in midlife are increasingly swapping big friendship groups for a handful of meaningful connections, and tackle a surprisingly divisive question: is tracking your husband's location perfectly normal... or just plain weird? Plus, a listener asks for help navigating the bewildering world of supplements for a neurodivergent perimenopausal brain, and Lauren and Nicole discover they share one deeply unfashionable opinion: complete and utter apathy towards the World Cup.Buy tickets to our Live Show on July 5th here: https://podlifeevents.com/event-details/40ish-live-show-5-jul-2026-ticketsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/40ish-laughing-our-way-through-midlife-perimenopause-menopause--6942825/support.We love to hear from you! Get in touch with your dilemmas and rants.DM & follow us on Instagram   TikTokOrder Our Book here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices