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[Hinari hot flush]

Don't know about anyone else but im really glad we have some celebrity role models in the last few years who have spoken out about their symptoms such as Lorraine Kelly, Ruth Langsford, Carol Voderman and Michelle Heaton. Personally it makes me glad to know others are talking and about it and has encouraged me to bring my symptoms up in conversation. I would imagine over the next few years Susanna Reid and Kate Garraway will be sharing their experiences to help us menopausal women know we arent alone.

[CLKD]

However ........... if you put the various names into the search box you'll see other comments ;-)

Why should any woman feel that they need to wait B4 they bring up the subject?  What ever that subject might be  .  If it is raised but those around don't grasp the issue, move on.  Change the subject or walk away.  Sometimes ladies don't want to discuss personal issues in company.  Other ladies 'sail through', others as many report here, suffer ..........

[racjen]

Why do you assume this is conversation with other 'ladies' only? I deliberately bring the topic up in mixed company now to make sure that men get to realise what women have to cope with. I couldn't care less whether they're offended - this is the reality for many of us, it should be made public (and as far as I'm concerned, females who've reached adulthood are women not 'ladies' - why the Victorian language, this isn't the 1950s?)

[sheila99]

I absolutely agree. I had the emotional symptoms, fatigue etc but still had regular periods & no hot flushes. Without the celebs I wouldn't have known it was peri related. Two different GPs didn't make the connection either. If only GPs were listening too...

[CLKD]

I was raised 2 b a lady by a Victorian Granny : each to his/her own?

GPs should be more aware.  Patients shouldn't have to advise them on what is required - this not only happens regarding menopause.  Particularly when the patient may well be feeling low and confused.  Sadly as seen by many comments on here, GPs are not getting the message  .  However, Practice Nurses and local Pharmacists may well be more informed.

[Emerald2017]

The majority of gyns don't care at all about treating meno. I think that it's about money. An infertile woman has no interest of them.
We don't speak openly for our meno cause we deny it. We don´t feel comfortable admitting that we cannot make babies anymore and cause sometimes we relate meno with aging.
For me meno is more a hormonal imbalance that we can treat and not a normal process!

[CLKD]

It is 'normal'.  Hormones impact daily without us being aware but if they become out of balance the body feels out of kilter, this is all the hormones not simply the sex hormones.  But it really does differ how ladies suffer or not.  It wasn't discussed by my Grannies and Mum nor my sister can remember theirs so I assume that they didn't have problems. 

It does seem that many medical problems that are unlikely to generate research grants don't get the consideration required when patients attend the surgery.  I don't know whether it's 'not caring' but many have no idea how symptoms can impact as well as lacking empathy.  At a time when a person feels ill, worried, tired they don't need to have to battle to be heard.

I have been fortunate, my GP is up to date on both mental health and menopause issues.  He has a specific interest in womens' health.  He would do well educating other medics!

[racjen]

CKLD, I imagine your grannies didn't discuss the menopause because they too were brought up to be 'ladies', and 'ladies' don't discuss these things. That was then passed down to your mum, making it more difficult for any of you to discuss it in public. I think this is really important - we're not Victorian ladies any more, we should talk openly in mixed company to make this part of normal life. My daughters and I discuss periods, sex, menpause etc. very openly and as a result they feel comfortable about these topics.

[Wilks]

I think the reluctance to discuss the menopause comes partly from the pressure to look forever young and beautiful, and be superwoman juggling careers and families whilst eating healthily and exercising etc, etc.

I admit it, I found it extremely depressing last year to find that suddenly I felt old, fat, dried-up, anxious, unattractive, achey, itchy, sweaty, sexless, utterly exhausted, and foggy of mind. Especially as I've always taken care of myself with lots of sports, healthy diet, not much alcohol, no smoking. I was gutted. Thankfully, many of these problems are now under control with hrt and testosterone, plus antidepressants.
As much as I hated to admit this was happening to me, I've been the first one to “break the ice” on the subject with my friends, who have all been suffering too.

[Charys]

What I find upsetting is that menopause is the focus of so many jokes and seems a good target for people to make 'amusing' and sterotypical japes about. I don't find it funny - and whilst I think its good to have humour about most things in life, its down to the individual experiencing it to start the ball rolling about if they want to have a good laugh about it.

[CLKD]

My Grannys didn't discuss periods etc.
My Mum however did.  My class friends would ask the questions and I would ask Mum then take the answer back to School the next day.  Their Mums wouldn't/couldn't discuss sex at all  .  I learnt by reading the problem pages in the back of Mum's magazines then asked the questions which she answered.  Dad wouldn't discuss with me at all though he did the sex classes for boys in local schools  .

I don't discuss it with DH in as many words but we use code so that others don't know what we are talking about  .  Next door family is much younger than us and they all discuss sexual issues ...........