'I'm fortunate enough to afford this … but what if I wasn't?'

Onset of menopause was a night to remember.

It was a night Eysar Halabi will always remember.

Mrs Halabi, now 49, woke up at 4am, drenched in sweat and knowing life would never be the same.

"Everything was soaked - my clothes, my sheets and covers," she said. "It was as though I had a workout in my sleep."

Mrs Halabi suspected menopause and her doctor confirmed it. Her first thought was that she would not be able to have any more children.

"It's not that I was considering having more kids but knowing that the option is there does give you a sense of comfort," she said. "And within a single doctor's visit, that was no longer a possibility."

When the doctor first recommended hormone-replacement therapy to help alleviate hot flushes she said no, afraid that the treatment could make her susceptible to breast cancer and heart disease.

But then, the symptoms worsened. She had insomnia and anxiety.

At that point, Mrs Halabi agreed to the therapy, but was dismayed to discover her insurance company would not pay for it. Her medication costs nearly Dh400 a month.

It was not about the money, but the principle, she said.

"Luckily, I'm fortunate enough to afford this, but what if I wasn't? What kind of life would I have if I wasn't receiving treatment?

"The purpose of insurance companies is to give us the support we need to live a healthy life."