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

Very pleased that Davina highlighted this.

I was fired from my job in my late 40s due to peri-menopausal mood swings. By a younger woman, who if there is any justice in the world will be experiencing the same now.

10 years on and I'm on HRT and so much better.

I have almost never had a hot flush but had terrible mood swings, anxiety and aching bones in the morning. Still have mild anxiety but everything else is so much better.

My male GP was happy to prescribe what I wanted on the NHS after I did my homework on the MN menopause boards.

I have also consulted a private menopause doctor since, who suggested switching from patches to a gel/tablet combo, which I have.

I wish the programme had addressed testosterone, as I find that hard to understand and would like to know if I might benefit from it.

If you are reading this Davina, thank you.

[quote Camdenish]@Letsgetreadytocrumble a pp responded to your post about having cancer but I’m not sure if you’ve sen it?

If you go to your GP they will refer you to a specialist menopause clinic. The NICE guidelines that advice this are here

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23

The bio identical HRT that doctors like to prescribe is in patch or gel form however there have been shortages of the patches due to Brexit. Therefore some doctors prefer to start new patients on the gel. It’s bio identical and available![/quote]
Thank you - I hope I can be referred in the future and can have something, rather than just a flat 'no'!

It's not so much symptoms like vaginal dryness/hot flushes I am worried about (I had those when I had temporary menopausal symptoms during chemo) but more the risk of dementia that worries me!!!

This was a very informative programme hopefully giving the sadly countless women more ammunition for the battle that has to be fought to get gps to listen. Maybe the programme should be part of the annual mandatory training all nhs staff but particularly gps, have to sit through. It's certainly more relevant than some of the subjects of training I've had to sit through annually.

I'm stuffed too. Had breast cancer at 42 straight on tamoxifen after treatments still on tamoxifen 8 years later.

It was informative and absolutely good on Davina for tackling it. Thank you.
My only criticism would be that I found it a bit too gentle on WHY women are in this ridiculous situation of everyone including our doctors not wanting to talk about symptoms. It’s not really because a disproved study came out years ago saying cancer risks are raised. It’s much simpler and more devastating than that- it’s because this issue ‘only’ affects older women. Older women aren’t seen as worth the care or the research or the budgets. Older women are invisible and should stay invisible ideally. Just getting on with it. Not having any needs.
So I will be bearing in mind that statistic about menopausal women being the fastest growing group of workers, if this ever comes up at work and they dismiss it as a non issue.

you’re not stuffed letsgetstarted! If you look at the NICE guidelines I posted up thread you can see you should ask your GP to refer you to a menopause clinic. The consultants there can discuss any risk with you. There may be none (little).

When we had cancer we were told no hrt but more studies have been carried out since.

I had dreadful troubles with all hormone birth control. I swore I’d never take HRT because of this. Then I had oestrogen + breast cancer at a youngish age which made me doubly sure.

Then the peri struck and I have never felt so awful. I felt mad. Utterly. Got referred to the Menopause clinic but was very anti HRT still. It was suggested I trial it for 3 months and have a dose tailored to me. You’re taking that HRT out of my cold, dead, hands. It’s a life saver. Nothing like hormonal contraceptives.

@Newgirls

Take home for me was that hrt protects against dementia. I wish more women knew that. We are twice at risk as men.

I am a bit concerned by some of the claims being made at the moment and whether they are fully evidenced. The Alzheimer's Society are experts in research on this and their website says: "Studies looking at whether replenishing oestrogen levels using HRT can reduce women's risk of dementia have been inconclusive and contradictory. For example, some studies of women who were already using HRT during menopause found that their risk of dementia was lower than those not on HRT. However, other studies found no strong evidence for this. There is some evidence that HRT may even increase dementia risk. Clinical trials looking at the use of HRT to treat Alzheimer's disease in women, rather than prevent it, did not show any beneficial effects on cognition. Until there is better evidence, the potential benefits of HRT as a way to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease do not outweigh the potential risks of HRT" There are undoubtedly some studies that suggest HRT may help protect but that is not conclusive yet it is being presented as fact

.

I watched this tonight, there wasn’t much new that I already knew about but for one hour programme they had done well. If you don’t know much about menopause, then this programme is a good place to start.

Davina’s contemporary Meg Matthews has been publicly talking about menopause for few years now. megsmenopause.com/

@Tulipomania

Very pleased that Davina highlighted this.

I was fired from my job in my late 40s due to peri-menopausal mood swings. By a younger woman, who if there is any justice in the world will be experiencing the same now.

10 years on and I'm on HRT and so much better.

I have almost never had a hot flush but had terrible mood swings, anxiety and aching bones in the morning. Still have mild anxiety but everything else is so much better.

My male GP was happy to prescribe what I wanted on the NHS after I did my homework on the MN menopause boards.

I have also consulted a private menopause doctor since, who suggested switching from patches to a gel/tablet combo, which I have.

I wish the programme had addressed testosterone, as I find that hard to understand and would like to know if I might benefit from it.

If you are reading this Davina, thank you.

Yes I’d like to know more about testosterone. It seems it’s prescribed at certain clinics but not widespread.

@Fishflakes

It was informative and absolutely good on Davina for tackling it. Thank you. My only criticism would be that I found it a bit too gentle on WHY women are in this ridiculous situation of everyone including our doctors not wanting to talk about symptoms. It’s not really because a disproved study came out years ago saying cancer risks are raised. It’s much simpler and more devastating than that- it’s because this issue ‘only’ affects older women. Older women aren’t seen as worth the care or the research or the budgets. Older women are invisible and should stay invisible ideally. Just getting on with it. Not having any needs. So I will be bearing in mind that statistic about menopausal women being the fastest growing group of workers, if this ever comes up at work and they dismiss it as a non issue.

Yes strong agree. The religion/cultural angle is strong too - if women are valued as mother’s first and foremost then talking about end of fertility seems to be a huge barrier to meno being discussed. I think about my catholic community in that as women’s issues seem to be very much an awkward conversation.

Queen - the dementia angle.

My limited understanding is that dementia research is mostly done on older women. So their findings are not based on preventative hrt from say late 40s. A HUGE area to be researched still.

@Newgirls

Queen - the dementia angle.

My limited understanding is that dementia research is mostly done on older women. So their findings are not based on preventative hrt from say late 40s. A HUGE area to be researched still.

yes exactly plus working in the age sector including working with the alzheimers society, this is not a priority area of research for them. If you look on their research page, the last piece they posed on this was in 2018 www.alzheimers.org.uk/research

hopefully they will have seen the programme and seen the value of funding some work in this area

Yes Kit. Am sure they need more money to do that - but also the cost of caring for people with dementia it would be better to invest now. Why is this all so rubbish?!

Thanks @Camenish I'll have a look

[quote DurhamDurham]@FunnysInLaJardin Not yet, been fobbed off with antidepressants again. I feel empowered to go back now. I'll probably be accused of 'jumping on the bandwagon' the program has caused but I'll stand my ground.
It was heartbreaking to see how few dedicated menopause clinics there were, only one in the whole NE England area. Shocking really.

Any advice for when I visit my GP is very welcome, thanks so much. [/quote]
Good luck with getting properly treated.

I don't have any advice really. I too am 50 and peri-menopausal. My doctor did a blood test which confirmed it and offered me a number of solutions one of which was HRT.

I immediately chose HRT and cannot tell you how much better I feel. More energy, sleeping well and no low mood or anxiety.

I think I was lucky with my doctor as in no way did she try to deter me, just gave me the options.

My mum was on HRT for years and so I was fully expecting to have to do likewise. I think if it had been refused I would have demanded it tbh or gone to another surgery.

@FunnysInLaJardin that's good to know. I'm going to the GP and are determined to get HRT. I'd almost convinced myself that feeling like this was my new 'normal' and I'd have to get used to it. This programme and the the comments on this thread have reminded me that it's not inevitable and I can do something about it.

Thanks again

Could somebody please link to the NICE guidelines? I was given citalopram by my GP, which did help with sleep, but they’ve now taken me off.
I have a full time, stressful job and work long hours. I’ve had breast cancer, so have been told I can’t have HRT. I’m AMAZED to have read that I should have been referred to a specialist menopause clinic.

I have every symptom possible, although none to excess. Brain fog, insomnia and poor libido are the worst.

They are pinned to the top of the menopause section in general health

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/menopause/3150778-NICE-Menopause-guidelines-for-information

I thought it was a decent show, the more info that gets out there the better. It is shocking how little some GPs know.

I've been on HRT for 8 years, but that is only because at the 40+ NHS check-up, I mentioned menopause to the nurse. The nurse was trained in menopause, and menopausal herself, so didn't hesitate to suggest HRT. I had been struggling along with herbal supplements (which did nothing) up to that point, and had no idea you could take HRT while still having periods.

I did speak to a GP a few months later as I was considering changing the HRT type - she referred to her big manual of medicines - and told me to go back to the nurse again as the nurse knew better.

It’s refreshing to hear a gp say they don’t know 👍 glad the nurse knew her stuff

What a pity every surgery doesn't have a trained menopause nurse, that would really be progress!

@Seaoftroubles

What a pity every surgery doesn't have a trained menopause nurse, that would really be progress!

With 13m menopausal women in the country they’d need more than one in each surgery!

JosephineDeBeauharnais Yes indeed! But it would still be an improvement on our current situation where so many women have to wade through ignorance and misinformation to get the help they need.