Guardian perimenopause explainer

[WhereAreWeNow]

Is it just me or does this read like the author or an editor is trying really hard to avoid saying "woman"? www.theguardian.com/society/2023/feb/16/what-is-perimenopause-and-what-are-the-symptoms-and-treatment-nicola-bulley?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

It mentions female one (estrogen is a female hormone) but apart from that it's weirdly gender neutral, as if perimenopause is just a thing that affects some people, of either sex.

I despair of the Guardian these days.

'Scuse typos.

It's also a rather shite explanation.

No mention of dryness too much made of hot flashes which I only got towards the end. The years before were much worse

And for gods sake guardian, women who think they're men who take cross sex hormones and pbs are plunging themselves into menopause.

My only weak hope is that the increased discussions around meno may help to point out to girls that oestrogen is bloody important to your healthy body!

Sadly I doubt that last bit.

Many teenage girls who get their "information" from the internet and a captured education system think they'll actually become male. Oestrogen, menopause, female health matters in general will no longer apply to them.

So true. A vulnerable teen of a friend thought you just had a second puberty and then..voila!!! She was 15 FFS - plenty old enough to learn the actual facts were she not being told so many lies.

@Chersfrozenface I do keep hearing that tiktok is experiencing a backlash though.

This particular tiktok is lovely:

twitter.com/hatpinwoman/status/1626364096210673664?s=46&t=22jA6eZn6-YJiCFz-lW4fw

Though TikTok algorithms being what they are, I worry that many of those already converted* will not see such material.

But there may be hope for those not yet on the slippery slope.

*Do posts get deleted for using terms related to cerebral laundry?

I have this feeling it is easier to say men don't get the menopause than it is to say women get menopause.

Hmm... female health care messaging is going to start targeting men to tell them what does or doesn't affect them. The messaging for women will target everyone. And this will be seen as normal.

To come so far in healthcare for women and then to go so far backwards

I've just written to the readers editor as well and pointed out that it's unlikely that an explainer on prostate cancer wouldn't say that it affected men.