Sex, Myths and the Menopause

[over50andfab]

Not to be missed - on tonight Channel 4 at 9pm. This programme will debunk many myths and address the lack of updated knowledge and support from many GPs and other HCPs.

Davina McCall had been doing loads of work in this area recently. This programme should raise awareness that specific GP training should be mandatory, seeing that half the population will go through this at some point.

Wow great programme.
Only 1 in 10 menopausal women take HRT, that’s so shocking!

Great programme.

Brilliant programme, so pleased Davina Has done this. It really hit me with the statistic 9/10 women said the menopause has affected their work. I’ve struggled for the last 2/3 years with cognitive impairment and feel like I’ve really lost the capability to do my job! ☹️

It’s about time everyone knows the huge impact that menopause can have on women and that’s it’s not just about hot flushes and no periods.

Great programme, so many shocking statistics regarding the use of HRT and the lack of knowledge.

It makes me so angry that woman's health continues to be at the bottom of the list. When I went to the GP's with my symptoms they offered me the same HRT tablets my mother had taken 30 years earlier. I ended up researching for weeks and then self funded a visit to a menopause clinic. I am now 57 and have been on HRT patches for 4 years, best thing I ever did.

I hope it opens people’s minds. Meno is not a year of hot flushes then all done - ostrogen falls throughout life and impacts on heart, bones, brain and vulva!

Excellent. Really excellent.

Superb programme. It's given me the push to take action.

GPs ought to have mandatory training.
The British Menopause Society has run courses for years on menopause and prescribing, as well as having an annual conference.
There is no excuse.

I was interested in red clover. Hadn’t heard of. Looks like it helps with hot flushes but that’s not my issue. It’s the brain fog! Anyone taken red clover and it’s helped with brain fog?

@Musntgrumble2021

I was interested in red clover. Hadn’t heard of. Looks like it helps with hot flushes but that’s not my issue. It’s the brain fog! Anyone taken red clover and it’s helped with brain fog?

Most (not all) herbal supplements work on the same basis as prescribed estrogen- they are phytoestrogens (made from plants - same as some types of hrt) so although they may help some aspects of menopause, the dose is very weak.

Red clover is prob a bit like soya products. If you’ve eaten them all your life you might get benefits but if you are considering this age 48 prob a bit late!

Well done Davina! It was a great programme. It's so very sad that women suffer in silence.

If you haven't already, sign this if you believe there should be more education done by HCPs and awareness raised generally about menopause
www.change.org/p/rt-hon-elizabeth-truss-mp-make-menopause-matter-in-healthcare-the-workplace-and-education-makemenopausematter?fbclid=IwAR0QBtlq-HVngMPrNH71bXCIjURl_EZW1Cu7Q0bCsr6SZ_5aRD6THN5q7MY

It was an excellent programme. I think like a PP said, many women think you 'get over' it and then that's it.

I've signed the petition.

It was excellent and I am glad awareness is being raised. Not a moment too soon. I feel utterly short-changed by my woeful ignorance about the whole thing - but then my mother thinks menopause is shameful and not to be spoken about in mixed company. Or even at all, actually. She was furious to discover there was an article about peri-menopause in the paper the other day. Because it is "natural" she thinks we should just put up and shut up.

@Spodge

It was excellent and I am glad awareness is being raised. Not a moment too soon. I feel utterly short-changed by my woeful ignorance about the whole thing - but then my mother thinks menopause is shameful and not to be spoken about in mixed company. Or even at all, actually. She was furious to discover there was an article about peri-menopause in the paper the other day. Because it is "natural" she thinks we should just put up and shut up.

This happens in my family too. Yet they’ve experienced osteoporosis and strokes. If hrt can help prevent that why wouldn’t I want that?

I’m sure in some older women there’s an element of ‘I soldiered on why can’t you’. Thankfully new scientific discoveries mean we don’t have to!

I really don't get this 'it's natural' @Newgirls, either.

Lots of things are 'natural' - like eyesight and hearing failing as we age but do these people not wear glasses? Or accept drug treatment for macular degeneration?

Men tend to get prostate enlargement as they get older- do they not accept drugs that help it?

One important point made on the prog by dr newson was that life expectancy for women was around 60 until not that long ago. It's no good living longer, to 85 or 90 if you are in ill health for 20 years.

Now, women can spend 30 years or more post meno without estrogen. And with that come all kinds of health issues , for many.

So true Jingling.

Women may end up with heart meds and other medical interventions so surely prevention is better anyway? (And prob cheaper for the nhs).

So I have a dilemma. I am menopausal. I had a little bit of hot flushing but take a multi vitamin aimed a menopause that includes soya and ginseng. I seem to have no symptoms now other than joint problems that I have had for years (since my 20s) and dry eyes which I first got 20years ago.

If anything I feel more alert and clear of head. I think my menstrual cycle caused me brain fog. It was something I battled with for years. I have also lost weight since being menopausal.

So, given the worries about osteoporosis (family history) and heart should I take HRT anyway?

@jewel1968

Ideally what you need is to talk to a dr who knows about all of this and who will discuss the pros and cons of HRT, and your medical history and risk factors for using hrt and not using hrt,
so you can decide what you want to do. Unless you have high risk factors re HRT, the choice is supposed to be yours.

Being honest, it would be a rare GP to give you HRT as a preventative treatment. They tend to want to hear symptoms like flushes, night sweats etc.

There is a podcast on Liz Earle Wellbeing where she asks Nick Panay (dr on the Davina programme) if he would give HRT to women with no real symptoms but as a way to ensure better long term health. He says yes. But he is a meno consultant. (worth finding that podcast and listening to it- loads of info.)

If your mum has osteoporosis, your GP ought to screen you for it on the basis of family history. Bone loss occurs faster in the five years after the last period. So whether you use hrt or not, you should pursue that before too long.

Whether your GP is the best person - are they? Or you might need to seek out a menopause consultant and pay for a private consultation.

Your average GP is likely to throw their hands up in horror.

Thanks @jinglingHellsBells all makes perfect sense. I find it strange that for some of the typical symptoms of menopause I got the reverse e.g. weight loss and no brain fog. My sister is the same. When I asked her why she never took hrt she thought I was joking. She felt loads better when her periods stopped. But she does have osteoporosis. And she still would not take hrt. She used to get super depressed with her cycle and all that stopped with menopause. Hormones are complex things which is why experts are what I need. You are right.

Could you start by asking your GP to sort out a bone density scan? @jewel1968 They ought to offer that on the basis of your sister.

That would be your base line and you need them doing every 2-3 years (ideally every 2 straight after menopause) to track your bone loss.

If you are happy not to use hrt, then your GP ought to advise you on diet and exercise to maintain your bones.

If you already have bone loss (as shown by a scan) then HRT is available as a treatment and preventative in women under 60.

You might also find you develop other menopausal symptoms as tie goes on which make you more keen to use hrt anyway.

Thanks@JinglingHellsBells - a good strategy.

jewel1968 it’s vital for menopausal women to take vitamins D daily, to keep bones strong.

Vitamin D supplements are indeed important, particular during the winter months, and naturally obtained by the sun during the warmer months. As an aside a good level of it is also helpful in maintaining the vaginal micro-biome.

However it’s just one of the things than can help maintain good bone health. Along with considering HRT, addressing other lifestyle factors can also help - quite well summed up in this article www.naturesbest.co.uk/our-blog/how-to-maintain-bone-health-after-the-menopause/