The conversation on menopause
Davina McCall’s Channel 4 programme ‘Sex, Myths and the Menopause’ aired on 12th May has created a lot of discussion on the menopause. It is well worth a watch (available for 30 days on My4) and there are links to more resources.
https://www.channel4.com/programmes/davina-mccall-sex-myths-and-the-menopause
She was warned not to make the programme by people who felt that it would harm her image, but she felt that there were really important messages that needed to be talked about. So many people have reflected how glad they are that she did make this programme, and it has created a lot of useful conversation.
Some of the hard-hitting messages are captured in this ’10 things that we learned’ in The Independent. The statistics are striking and compelling:
For me, the key messages for athletes are:
- It is widespread – so don’t think that it won’t affect you
- The cloak of silence is damaging – we need to talk about it
- It impacts physically, mentally and emotionally
- Getting the clinical help that you need may take quite a lot of follow-up
- GPs have very little training and if you are having serious issues, you will need to find a specialist to help (and this may involve travelling quite a distance)
- If you get prescribed anti-depressants, really understand whether these are right for you
- Get the real statistics on Hormone Replacement Therapy (as the original study and reports were mis-reported)
Davina’s own reflections are here: