Sex, Myths and the Menopause

[Margo51]

Is anyone watching Sex, Myths and the Menopause tonight? Its on C4 at 9pm. Davina McCall discussing menopause, HRT, taboos and myths surrounding it and how she coped with it.

She has been doing lots of work recently to raise awareness of the menopause and how hard it is.

www.channel4.com/programmes/davina-mccall-sex-myths-and-the-menopause

Janiie jones, read the NICE guidelines regarding hrt to get a balanced view. Also Nick Panay who was featured on the programme is both private and NHS as he runs a clinic at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and he is a BMS specialist who has been championing women's health for years.

Well done Davina (I’m sure she is on here as she has mentioned it before) lots I can relate to and will seek assistance.

Really want to watch this. Hoping it will be helpful and informative. Spoke to my GP recently about menopause and anxiety. She said it was a really under reported symptom but nearly every woman I know going through the peri menopause has experienced it so why so little information. It’s upsetting that it is all so brushed under the carpet still. In my conversation with Doc I was simply steered towards a website and told I need to ‘clear my desk’ on the weeks I knew I might be struggling with symptoms. How f*cking ridiculous is that.

Excellent.
I'm 48. I think I'm perimenopausal.
My GP's surgery doesn't have a female GP.
My GP has put me on antidepressants but not once asked about menopause.
I've tried different ADs to no avail.
I feel stuck.

@JaniieJones

I'd have liked to hear a balanced argument from doctors who don't recommend HRT. Dr Newson is a private Dr making money from prescribing hrt so of course she will recommend it. Though I liked what she said about thinking of it as a deficiency.

I'm on the fence about it. Whatever unpleasant symptoms people experience do not compare to the unpleasant tests and treatment required for cancer. I hope there will be more research specifically into the effect of newer drugs.

HRT is the easily most effective way to handle menopause, particularly in terms of bone health and keeping the brain working properly. That is why there weren't any doctors offering a different view of an non-HRT route. Herbal supplements, meditation, exercise and other non-hormone options just don't offer the same results.

The programme was clear about how low the risks are for HRT/breast cancer. Maybe rewatch it if you missed this information.

@Silverparting

Excellent. I'm 48. I think I'm perimenopausal. My GP's surgery doesn't have a female GP. My GP has put me on antidepressants but not once asked about menopause. I've tried different ADs to no avail. I feel stuck.

You don't need to see a female GP, not least because they are often as useless as male ones regarding menopause

What you do need to do is educate yourself, read the NICE guidelines and insist on being prescribed HRT instead of ADs.

I had a premature menopause, and this has become somewhat of a specialist subject for me because various GPs just were not interested.

It is scandalous how many women are left flailing because GPs are so clueless about something every women will experience at some point in their life.

As women, we are socialised not to make a fuss, and we should be up in arms and making a whole lot of fuss about this. I was pleasantly surprised by Davina and this programme, and really hope this opens up a discourse and the medical profession take menopause more seriously. I can only agree that if men went through menopause, the dialogue would be very different. But because they don't, and because menopause is so unique to the individual, there just is not a one-size fits all solution to it, hence the lack of research.

It is brilliant there are specialists like Dr Louise Newson. There needs to be more. Menopause clinics need to be routine.

I had the read the NICE guidelines to my GP. To his face. He shifted within one appointment from Daily Express scare tactics to looking like he was wondering what the menopause was.

He is my age. Married. Female colleagues.

I'd sack a mechanic for less.

Just think of the safeguarding implications of women struggling with mood, and then potentially with problems with bone density, brain function, heart health, and endocrine health.

GP lack of care in this area is a scandal, and has been for years.

Davina 👏👏

I'm 40 and feel like perimenopause is creeping up on me. I'm so appreciative of more information being disseminated.

@Silverparting

Excellent. I'm 48. I think I'm perimenopausal. My GP's surgery doesn't have a female GP. My GP has put me on antidepressants but not once asked about menopause. I've tried different ADs to no avail. I feel stuck.

Yep the old 20mg of Citalopram “cure”. It really frustrates me that this is the go-to option for so many GPs. Many don’t seem to understand that you don’t have to have hot flushes to qualify. It’s really quite shocking. When I was finally prescribed HRT I had to explain to the GP how to prescribe Utrogestan for peri menopause. No training should be optional for something half the population will go through.

Thanks all.
I am going to read the NICE guidelines and push for more than a quick diagnosis of anxiety and depression.

Youok I'm glad you got your treatment in the end, but angry you had to jump through these hoops too.

When I had a coil fitted they said that'll do.me until.i was menopausal I asked how I would know I was menopausal ( if no periods with a coil ).I was simply told.youll have hot flushes and that was it!🙄 it's a much bigger topic clearly

Fantastic program. Well done Davina.

More needs to be talked about with menopause. I watched it with DH as I wanted him to hear what I’m about to go through. My DM had a horrible time, she was terrified to go on HRT because of the scare stories.

Good on Davina for speaking out. I had no idea GP’s knew so little. I thought it was male GP’s not understanding, but if they are only given an e module. That’s so so wrong.

'The programme was clear about how low the risks are for HRT/breast cancer. Maybe rewatch it if you missed this information.'

I don't need to rewatch it. My point was I'd have liked another side of the discussion put forward rather than the overall suggestion women are being let down without anyone saying why. Ovarian cancer wasn't even mentioned yet we know that is a small risk too.

As I said I'm on the fence about it. Is it a natural ageing process we all need to accept and tolerate or something to treat even with the small cancer risks. Obviously the extent of symptoms is the issue it just seems so very wrong that privileged women seem to have easy access to it privately yet those who use the nhs don't. Why?

Yes, frustrating re NHS v private. I had a hysterectomy over 5 years ago and have been on HRT ever since. Tablet form which I want to change but doctor never seems keen to a) up my dose a bit (she has admitted that I'm on a low dose ) or b) prescribe a gel or patch.

I did make an appointment with the Newson clinic a few months ago but at £275 I think it was for a 45 min consultation, I had to cancel at that time as I just couldn't afford it.

I'm happy on HRT but it's up and down and I still get palpitations / hot etc etc

I watched some of it but hated the twee background music on the bit I watched, I detracted from the importance (when she was interviewing the harley st dr).

Love my hrt patches though and found they really got me back on track.

I thought it was really informative. Once face to face appointments are back I’ll be having a chat with my GP for when the time comes rather than wait until something happens.

It’s not regarded as important by the NHS because its only women’s health which is why GPs have so little training on it

It’s scandalous some women have to pay to get decent menopausal care

It is a natural process but i for one have no intention of tolerating the insomnia, mood swings and hot flushes there were the start of my perimenopause and now I have VA I have no intention of tolerating a perpetual itch & burning and complete inability to have sex because it’s agony. I’m on hrt and vaginal oestrogen and I wouldn’t be without either of them

Really informative! Much needed. Was anyone else surprised Davina used to be addicted to heroin?? Well done Davina! You've moved up in my book. Great show.

I felt a bit frustrated with this, to be honest. Yes, it’s great that a taboo subject impacting the lives of half the people on the planet is now being talked about. I like Davina and her preparedness to be so vulnerable about her own experience was powerful. But: some of this was highly misleading. There was a skating reference to peri-menopause, which can last up to ten years and is the usual cause of health problems (though not all of them end at meno itself). It’s NOT a hormone deficiency. In fact, peri’ problems can arise due to hormone fluctuations which can include elevated oestrogens. And it is orstrogens plural. We stop making oestradiol at menopause but continue making oestrone in our fatty tissue. Lots of the health issues post-meno’ are effects of ageing itself and lifestyle. HRT may be brilliant for some but it isn’t a panacea. And mid-life generally can be a bastard, so any low mood may not be totally due to peri-menopause. It’s hard to get everything across in a one-hour programme of course, but hopefully this is the start of a wider discussion.

Is it a natural ageing process we all need to accept and tolerate

Ah well let's just stop giving pain relief in child birth, it's a natural process!

It's attitudes like this as to why women's health care is so behind the curve.

@Craftycorvid

I felt a bit frustrated with this, to be honest. Yes, it’s great that a taboo subject impacting the lives of half the people on the planet is now being talked about. I like Davina and her preparedness to be so vulnerable about her own experience was powerful. But: some of this was highly misleading. There was a skating reference to peri-menopause, which can last up to ten years and is the usual cause of health problems (though not all of them end at meno itself). It’s NOT a hormone deficiency. In fact, peri’ problems can arise due to hormone fluctuations which can include elevated oestrogens. And it is orstrogens plural. We stop making oestradiol at menopause but continue making oestrone in our fatty tissue. Lots of the health issues post-meno’ are effects of ageing itself and lifestyle. HRT may be brilliant for some but it isn’t a panacea. And mid-life generally can be a bastard, so any low mood may not be totally due to peri-menopause. It’s hard to get everything across in a one-hour programme of course, but hopefully this is the start of a wider discussion.

Yea there is much more to say I agree. Diet wasn’t really covered. I think in the time they had they wanted to tackle the headline issues.

Maisie Hills book Peri menopause power is brilliant for far more detail.

The prog did cover herbal remedies etc and Nick Panay said it was such low impact so not hugely useful to many. Of course herbal companies are happy to sell us products which have very little affect...

@userchange856

Is it a natural ageing process we all need to accept and tolerate

Ah well let's just stop giving pain relief in child birth, it's a natural process!

It's attitudes like this as to why women's health care is so behind the curve.

Let’s stop working and having sex lives at 50 - sorted!

I think the programme could have been three hours long but in an hour with ad breaks it was hard to get everything across.

I knew Davina is a recovering addict. She’s talked about it a lot. She says she has addictive tendencies so at the moment her addiction is exercise.

I like her, she honest about her past and her childhood issues that made her turn to addiction.