M is for menopause
Andrea Mclean has had an idea – but do women really want to advertise something so personal?
Loose Women presenter Andrea Mclean thinks we should all be talking more about the menopause. In fact, she has even suggested that any woman going through the ‘big M’ should wear a special badge on buses and trains, so that if they get stuck in a busy carriage or can’t get a seat, other passengers would be able to ‘cut them some slack’.
Andrea says the badges emblazoned with ‘M’ or ‘hot flush’ would be a great help to women suffering from menopause symptoms.
Trouble is, men on public transport can barely get their head round the Baby on board badges currently used by pregnant women. The idea they’re going to know what to do in the event of a hot flush seems pretty unlikely.
And there’s also the issue that few women want to advertise their age either, so the badge idea to me, is a no-go.
As for talking more about it? I have to say, hearing Meg Mathews on the radio recently talking about the problem of dryness in her nether regions, caused by the menopause, put me right off my Weetabix. What we do need though is for doctors to take the subject seriously. For some women, hot flushes can cause endless sleepless nights, which in turn can impact on their ability to function like a human being. Depression can also strike. Last year, bubbly Carol Vorderman spoke out about feeling suicidal and completely exhausted during the menopause. Her doctor, Professor John Studd said, ‘Women aren’t being looked after. It’s a scandalous medical failure.’ Indeed, one current available treatment – HRT (hormone replacement therapy) – was first developed in the 1960s. And it’s only now, 50 odd years on, that a new drug is going through trials. That’s just not good enough. Women have been going through the menopause since the dawn of time. It’s time science caught up!w