Weir, then aged 42, had been warned that the operation carried a 5 per cent risk of a surgically induced menopause. She did not think it would happen to her. But within a fortnight of the surgery, she says, it was “pretty obvious” that her hormones were in freefall.

“My gynaecologist told me, ‘I’ve got to give you a heads-up of what’s coming for you, because it’s not going to be pretty.’ But I already knew,” says Weir.

“My gynaecologist had previously remarked on the youthfulness of my skin,” she recalls, “and she asked if I’d considered expanding Atopis into something that would work for vaginal atrophy [the thinning, drying and inflammation of the vagina], another physical consequence of menopause and one that hugely contributes to low libido in women.”

That potentially devastating conversation marked a fulcrum point in Weir’s career. Since then, her work has been focused on the creation of a plant-based cream that could be applied externally to the vulva and vagina and address the issue of low libido in midlife women. Called Myregyna, her new product finished year-long clinical trials in May and came on to the market worldwide through the company’s website this summer.