The Truth about menopause

[mycatplotsdeath]

Anyone watching?

That's a good point.

I'm in my mid 30s, this isn't applicable to me yet. But it does give the impression that I'll be seeing a impossibly shiny gynaecologist and breast clinic etc annually, with time to be listened to and taken seriously.

Given my limited NHS experience, I'm not quite convinced it's going to be like that.

A follow-up based in reality would be interesting.

Indeed, DA

Back in the real world, yearly (or even ever) DEXA scans, personal gynaecologists that bear more than a passing resemblance to a tall Dolly Parton and GPs that have the time to even pretend to give a shit are not happening

I learned that it would be wonderful if I had private healthcare. It's like another planet.

I'm 45 and have crippling anxiety and insomnia. It's shredding me.

To be fair, they did say that MF had annual mammograms because she had 'lumpy breasts'. I have mammograms every 3 years on the NHS. Not much fun, but a least cervical smears are now less frequent!

I thought the relative increase in risk of breast cancer attributed to HRT compared to alcohol and particularly obesity was interesting. I've thought that HRT was a much higher risk factor so, I'm encouraged to talk to my GP about this now as I've been suffering with the insomnia and memory issues for awhile now. Mind you I might leave it for another few weeks as the programme has probably prompted thousands of women to phone their GP's tomorrow morning!

51- periods turning up at random; ovaries doing their own version of sending me drunken 3am text messages; the odd night sweat about a year ago; libido had a real dip for a while....but no one talks about emotions! I’m not depressed but I’m often sad. Taking stock of what has been and trying to fathom out a game plan to handle what might come next - that’s a challenge.

I gave up with my GP understanding my issues of not sleeping, anxiety, aching joints and painful sex. Paid to see a private Gyno (credit card to be honest). Best thing I ever did.....a part from taking up running too .

@amicissimma what ghastly things happen to women's bits ? 😳😳

I'm very possibly facing premature menopause and the thought that something ghastly is going to happen to my vagina is terrifying !

I definitely need to up exercise

Trust men to get in on the act male bloody menopause my arse.

I have my first mammogram next week and I'm not looking forward to it - necessary evil though.

I don't get the 'shame, stigma and embarrassment' being used to justify the programme. Maybe that's just my experience, but there seems to be very little of relevance to Josephine Bloggs and her local GP.

Male menopause? Pah.

It would've been better if they'd cut that irrelevant section altogether and gone into more detail about what actually happens to women's bodies during the menopause & what we have to put up with.

It was a bit too fluffy an approach in my opinion, and I didn't learn anything new.

Zensafuck

Well the ghastly things are that there is dryness. Itching. Tightening. Paper thin skin that bleeds. Itching bottom. No sex. No libido. Constant cystitis.

my GP was fab, I have HRT patch, mirena, vaginal oestrogen and mammograms, and diet and lifestyle advice. my only symptoms were anxiety and insomnia. I'm 52.

Agree that Mariella was having the luxury of a private gynaecologist- albeit the consultant was no advert for HRT and her Mariella's private yearly mammograms were a far cry from the pot luck NHS service.

I'm 52 -sleep not great , hot flushes I don't mind- getting by on soya and low carb low sugar diet. Just dont fancy HRT - when do you stop ? Know of someone still on it at 70 because every time she stops symptoms come back.

Was good to see a program talking about menopause but didn't learn anything new.

62 here. Thought it was a bit superficial, pretty much concentrating on hot flushes when loss of libido, vaginal dryness etc are really the things that people don't talk about.

I'm concerned that having never been prescribed HRT due to the healthscare my bones will be shot but no valid reason to ask for a bone density test on the NHS.

Oh to have healthcare like that, a real perk of having the right job/high income that most of us can only dream about. No 6 weeks waiting for a doctor's appointment for Mariella ( a thread in AIBU).

Pretty good but could do better

Obviously only featured women having problems. I never had any. Periods stopped. End of.

If you can afford to have a dexa scan done privately, do so. I had one last year (both my mother and grandmother suffered from osteoporosis) and I am so glad that I did. Knowledge is power and all that. My doctor won't prescribe me HRT for health reasons and the tablets he offered for the osteoporosis (my results were borderline) have side effects including making your bones more brittle . So I am using exercise and diet to improve my bones.

What did tv show say were the relative risks of obesity/booz/HRT to br-cancer risk?

I'm guessing booze > obesity >> HRT as relative risk factors?

I think it was obesity, booze, HRT.

I’ve taken up running so I shall have lovely strong bones. That’ll cheer me when I need hip and knee replacements

With obesity being a much greater risk factor. I can’t remember the numbers but did brwast cancer it was along the lines of 24(?)/1000 ‘normally’, another 4 with HRT, 5 with booze and double figures with obesity.

but I may be wrong as my memory isn’t what it used to be

I’m 50 & have had a mirena coil for years so haven’t had a period because of that so don’t know where I am.

I would have liked a dummies guide to the relative merits of different forms of HRT. It felt very hot flush-centric.

I’d have liked to know about brain fog (I seem to lose my train of thought so that I lose the end of sentences) and repeated wakening when not caused by night sweats.

I don’t think it was the truth for the majority of women who rely on the NHS.

I am about 18 years past menopause (in my case started by cancer).
I had the occasional night sweat and probably was a bit grumpy at the beginning. Nothing happened to my bits. No medication or HRT. My gyn told me that regular sex would help prevent dryness
I'm in a country were everything is dealt with by a GP except for female issues and teeth - for those you go directly to the specialist (there are yearly check ups payed for - breast, uterus, ovearies.
I think it is very much down to luck / genetics how difficult menopause is for the individual.