The Truth About The Menopause...Mariella Frostrup

I didn't watch this but am puzzled at the description in the BBC iPlayer page.

The menopause currently affects 13 million women in the UK. And yet it's shrouded in secrecy and wildly misunderstood.

Is it?

Did you find it revealed anything that you didn't already know?

I don't think it's shrouded in secrecy or wildly misunderstood either. There seem to often be articles about the menopause in newspapers.

In answer to Pittcity, I agree that, in real life, you'd have to wait a while for an appointment with a GP but I suppose they are making a programme so have to fit everything in within an hour.

I thought the programme was quite interesting.

I think that as each generation reaches the menopause they think they're the first ones ever to experience it!!
As I approached it I was very apprehensive. I got all the books of advice, stocked up on supplements and sat back fearing the worst. It was completely fine. Once the periods stopped it was great. I can truthfully say I didn't experience any of the dreaded aspects of the menopause. I know others suffer a great deal and I was all set to but nothing happened!
I'm very grateful and know that I'm lucky. I wonder if its that those who have a bad time are the ones who write the books and talk about it and us ladies with nothing much to say just get on with living life as they always did?

I wrote a lengthy contribution to this tooic but then deleted it. Basically i cannot begin to tell you how bad my experiences of the menopause have been and continue to be.

that's the issue imo Lollin, the menopause is ok for some and absolutely dire for others with many of us in the middle feeling relieved it isn't (quite)as bad as we feared.
I'm afraid I feel grumpy when someone like MF discovers the menopause, like no one ever had it before.

Never having had a headache to speak of up until the age of 50 they appeared with a vengeance as migraines with every hot flush I had. I could willingly have thrown myself over the sea wall-------and I was carrying on working through them too. I constantly felt as though I'd been through the mangle,ill and drained.
I was chucking paracetamol down my neck every couple of hours with no effect. Migraleve the same,no effect and this went on that after 7 weeks I decided to see the GP who sent me to A&E where I was admitted under observation. The migraines continued and I was quickly transferred to a neurological hospital where a scan was given and fortunately it was clear so after a few days I was discharged because the neuro-surgeon said it wasn't his field of surgery as he put it my problem was the " basement " and his expertise was the " attic ".

It wasn't until 6/7 years later that these migraines began to tail off but I'd lost weight and looked drawn. However 20 years later I haven't even had a headache so how can anyone account for that period of " illness " other than it being the menopause ? And why did it happen ?

To be honest when I think back I don't know how I got through each day let alone the years at that time. I wouldn't have wished it on my worst enemy. Not one GP could come up with anything and I was working at a hospital at the time.

And MF said she had only ever had 2 hot flushes, whereas I still wake up dripping wet and have to stand in front of a fan for 20 minutes even in the depths of winter. I felt annoyed when she got all over-excited in asking people "Oooh, what does it feel like?" Bloody hot!! Grrr!

The documentary was weak and raised only a few of the issues women face.
GP practices should have a menopause nurse a 10 minute appointment with a harassed GP is not sufficient to get proper advice.
My symptoms are many and varied, ranging from hot flushes to very painful sex my GP is unsympathetic and has never given me any information on the drugs she has prescribed.

I'm afraid that many doctors just aren't up to speed on a lot of medical issues. For a start some of them are very young without the overall experience of the varying problems that can and do occur with each individual person suffering with the same diagnosis.
I loved the old experienced GP's who were more understanding and knowledgeable of illnesses and such like and they were so confident too. All that has gone

It was interesting that the gynaecologist said she was going to take HRT for the rest of her life.I totally agree if it suits you as when you stop taking it the symptoms nearly always start all over again.Unfortunately most GP,s have little experience in this field and you have difficulty finding one who is happy to prescribe HRT long term.I think the program should have included women who take HRT long term who are aware of the risks and wish to remain on HRT.

The female scientist said that obesity was a greater risk than HRT and that may have put paid to Jenni Murray's claim that her breast cancer was due to HRT as she admitted she had 3 high risk factors, the 3rd being wine.

I have had breast cancer twice, have never been obese, had it both times before the menopause so had never taken HRT, and I don't drink.

The thing with the private gynaecologist is the same as with the male practitioner prescribing testosterone to men - that is what they specialise in, that is their job, and how they make a living. Their opinions are not neutral.

I had been tried on HRT but began " spotting " so was immediately taken off them then had to go through the rigmarole of drinking loads of water in readiness for a scan of the ovaries just to make sure nothing was amiss. It was a progesterone based pill. Not worth the bother.

I am on the lowest dose Evorel patch and that almost keeps the symptoms at bay although this morning I woke up freezing. My husband gave me a cuddle to warm me up and I almost instantly started sweating. It was bad enough for him to notice straight away and abandon me! Even my arms sweat.

I started on the highest dose almost 30 years ago after a total hysterectomy and it was wonderful - just like being a man! Every time I try to stop, I am back to the GP saying I can't cope.

Have just been discussing this with a chum (she watched it I did not) My big problem with any discussions on this subject is that no one really delves into the mental and personality changes that take place. We agreed that we both went through real personality changes and despite little support from either the medics or family we did survive and regained much of our previous traits and characteristics. However, both of us know of women who could not cope and made decisions that affected their lives whilst in the menopause haze and lived to regret it.
Having a women doctor is no insurance either.....my female GP totally failed to spot my pre-menopausal symptoms and wittered on about me being anaemic for months. Once I was deep in the phase (and had done some reading) I realised my symptoms had been quite classic. What was not classic however were my so called 'hot flushes' they have always seemed less about a hot flush and more about a wave of negative energy coupled with a real sense of dread or panic. At first I did not recognise them but after a few months I began to see a pattern. Once again no support from GP!

Yes I watched it, I'm wasn't too miffed that a high profile person such as MF did this programme, maybe it will make people more aware of how debilitating the side effects of the menopause can be. She didn't reveal anything I didn't already know though

I had a terrible few years of flooding, having to have scans, biopsies, blood tests, etc., then tablets. My periods stopped about a year ago (I was 58 1/2 by then), so I was really glad....until I had a -day period last month. I'll be 60 in Apil.

that should have read "5-day period"

Ellan I was exactly the same, never had a headache until 50 then bang migraines galore, didn't think about it being the menopause, because at the time I was stressed out.We had moved house, my dad was very ill, and my bp had shot up, so was treated for high blood pressure instead.Now 10 years later the migraines have gone, my bp is unpredictable, and I'm still having hot flushes.I wish I had tried HRT but it was never mentioned by the gp .

Never too late to go on HRT especially to control night sweats and hot flushes,also helps prevent brittle bone disease. I know a lot of people taking it in their 60's and 70's. The patches are best as they are not processed through the liver. If there is no family history of breast cancer, why not if you are well informed. The trouble is young GP's have very little knowledge or training in this field.

KatyJ it's interesting that someone else suffered in the same way. Like yourself I was going through various issues as well as a demanding job and also looking after my terminally ill husband so I put the migraines down to stress,as you would. It probably did form part of the distress. I too had a high blood-pressure just to add to it. The weird part about the migraines was that they occurred at 3am every morning religiously as if they'd been programmed and I'd got to know that I'd be wakened up at this hour every damn night. How I didn't go insane I'll never know. They made me heave and once I'd heaved it went ?
Also I'll never know how I managed a long-haul flight after a disturbed night and leaving the house at 6am feeling like death.
I was given Dixarit but gave them up because they spaced me out.
Finally I saw a GP who was really interested in my condition and I was full of hope as in the early 90's he connected the migraines to a heart defect of sorts. Sadly this young bright GP died suddenly in his surgery from an " electrical fault " in his heart,probably AF,he was mid-30's a lovely man. Needless to say that was the end of the " research ". I couldn't believe it.

Oh Ellan, what a awful thing to happen, sounds such a talented man too.You were having such a bad time, it's no wonder you were suffering such bad migraines, they are the most awful things I had to take tablets to stop the awful sickness, as I have emetophobia too just to add in to the mix.Hope your are feeling much better now, at least the migraines have gone, that's a blessing.

The problem seems to be that that the symptoms vary so much with each person. I agree with the poster who said it would be better to talk to a nurse practitioner about this as they have more time and possibly expertise. I have found there is still a prevailing attitude of
'its just natural, get over it ' the symptoms are very debilitating for some people.

Katyj the migraines fizzled out as quickly as they'd appeared be it years later and thankfully didn't return so it was all part and parcel of the menopause and I'd argue that it wasn't.
I'm quite a tough cookie and rarely let anything get me down. I'd just kept telling myself to " pull myself together ".

You poor thing with such a phobia. I hope you get or are getting help as there is help for most phobias x

I caught up with this on iplayer in bed last night . What a waste of a potentially good program . Most women never have the luxury of “seeing their gynaecologist” and have to make do with a 7 minute slot with a GP who couldn’t give a stuff . I would have liked to see “real” reporting on what it’s like for most women .