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[Emma]

Dr Currie has written an article, published here: Menopause: Why the Stigma?
In which she aims to tackle the stigma surrounding menopause by defining what stigma is and how it unfairly applies to this natural biological process.

While awareness and open discussions about menopause have grown - thanks to healthcare professionals, media, and social platforms - some topics, especially those related to vaginal and bladder changes, remain taboo. These issues continue to be under-discussed and poorly managed due to embarrassment and lingering stigma.

[bombsh3ll]

Good article.

I think it starts a lot earlier than menopause - when girls and young women grow up in a society where they are valued primarily as sex objects and baby factories, it is little wonder they feel shame and diminishment when these functions no longer apply.

[Ayesha]

I still will never understand how I got to the age of 70, developed VA (obviously I didn't know at the time) and wondered what on earth was going on, the symptoms were excruciating. A large surgery employing lots of nurses of various ages and not one of them knew either. Three lots of antibiotics that weren't needed and back again to the surgery where a male GP advised me to see another doctor who was a gynaecologist, when she examined me she said straight away you need oestrogen down there, a year later I was symptom free.

We are our own worst enemy when it comes to talking about the intimate parts of our body, its weird in this day and age that the stigma still exists. I will never forget clearing a room when I asked at a gathering of women, anyone on HRT, it was like an episode in a comedy show, you could hear a pin drop with the silence that followed.

Celebrities have a lot to say about HRT which has been a good thing but none as far as I am aware talk about GSM and the effects that has on our bodies.

[CLKD]

Tnx for raising this.

I wonder when these words were thought of as taboo? I believe that the Romans were far more open: rows of toilets without doors, bathing in open baths etc. so bodies were seen as natural and commonplace.  Certainly the Victorians were hush-hush about bodily functions, about menopause I knew the end of periods and hot flushes from my Mum who told me not to talk about Granny's hot face or sudden chills.

Mum did answer my queries.  I would read the 'problem pages' of her magazines and ask the questions, even from my school peer group - I would take home the question and back to school with the answers. She did not however use the correct terminology but was never embarrassed.  To a certain extent it is probably due to how our more recent women were told/not about the natural progression.

Even now, aged 72, there are certain people who I would not talk about my natural experiences as I need 2 feel secure about the topics.

[Ayesha]

I've just read an article about Jo Whiley doing a photoshoot for a mag looking wonderfully glamorous at 60, swimsuit shot included, she mentions going to the gym to help with her menopause symptoms. She suffers with osteoarthritis in her hands, she didn't mention if on HRT or if she suffers with GSM symptoms.

Made me feel I must do better and stop reading these type of articles because it does us mere mortals no favours at all!

[bombsh3ll]

I also think there is a culture of not wanting women to know about menopause to avoid us seeking treatment in large numbers - certainly there are people within the NHS bemoaning the increased demand that has resulted from women having access to more knowledge.

Historically it has also probably quite suited the patriarchy to have women of a certain age shrink away quietly, stooped and shrivelled, leaving careers and withdrawing from social roles etc. and increased knowledge and access to treatment is upsetting the status quo.

Regarding the issue of GSM, as well as the fact nobody wants to think about grandma's vagina, there is probably a bit of a two tier situation emerging where the most privileged and platformed women will all be on private sector doses of systemic HRT and largely won't have VA, so it isn't getting the same publicity.

[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

I can honestly say that I haven't encountered any stigma regarding the menopause and HRT.
I was at a routine GP appointment when my GP mentioned that the menopause was on the horizon. I was 48 at the time and feeling fine. The problems really began at 52 and my last period was at age 54. The GP was all in favour of HRT and I learned through a mutual friend that his wife had suffered a terrible menopause and it was very difficult getting her HRT right.

Since then I have mentioned menopause to all and sundry and never noticed any embarrassment.

Unfortunately I have also continued to have symptoms no matter what HRT I am using. I have weaned off twice and on both occasions I feel about the same, not good but not always terrible either.

I will be 69 in September and I am sick of being on this rollercoaster but I am also sick of the inadequacy and unpredictability of HRT.
I know many women who are healthy and stable without HRT and I want to be one of them.  Incidentally GSM problems have been the least of my worries, my remaining issues are psychological and I haven't had any difficulty talking about them either. It's actually resolving them that's the problem!

For the future I would like to see a treatment that helps us to adjust gently to the post meno state so that we have a genuine choice between taking HRT or living comfortable lives on a much lower level of oestrogen.


Wishing you well ladies and take care.


K.

[sheila99]

The GSM situation really isn't helped by the current NHS dogma of vagifem only twice a week and no estriol cream if you have vagifem. We all know this isn't enough for many women so why doesn't the NHS? There's definitely stigma to telling people you wet yourself, something that shouldn't be happening when everyone except the NHS knows how to prevent it.

[bombsh3ll]

I don't think it's a lack of knowledge, it's a resource issue, and the health of post-reproductive women is considered to be of such little value that the expenditure of daily vagifem or heaven forbid two estrogen preparations is not felt worthwhile from an economic perspective.

After all it's women themselves paying for all the incontinence products, which probably have VAT on them as well.

Someone has probably calculated that X number of hip fractures and admissions with urosepsis works out cheaper than estrogen for everyone who needs it.

[Minusminnie]

I hope for my granddaughter that she can talk freely about her vagina and vaginal health. That should she develop GSM that all the knowledge via whatever means is there for her and that any localised HRT she needs is like buying toothpaste now.

Not the monetised, obstacled halfway house we seem to be in at the moment.

[CLKD]

Do you pay VAT on sanitary items?

In the 2023 Autumn Statement, it was announced that the government will extend the zero-rate on sanitary products to include reusable period underwear from 1 January 2024.
When I was 17 I wrote to an MPs wife (he did the dog food advert with a bloodhound, name escapes me) and her reply was to shop around for the cheapest products 




In 2021, the 'Tampon Tax' was revoked, making most sanitary products zero-rated for VAT.

24 Nov 2023
Autumn Statement 2023: VAT relief on sanitary products now… - MHA



https://www.mha.co.uk › insights › vat-relief-on-sanitary...
What incontinence products are VAT free?

The incontinence products that are VAT exempt include incontinence pads, incontinence pants, belted undergarments & shields, bariatric products, bed pads and chair pads. Toilet aids such as urinals, bed pans, commodes, raised toilet seats, toilet aid frames and mobility handrails are also VAT exempt.

[Ayesha]

The GSM situation really isn't helped by the current NHS dogma of vagifem only twice a week and no estriol cream if you have vagifem. We all know this isn't enough for many women so why doesn't the NHS? There's definitely stigma to telling people you wet yourself, something that shouldn't be happening when everyone except the NHS knows how to prevent it.

The confrontations I have had with medics, apart from the practice nurse at my surgery, has been about the leaflet that comes with both prescription and private Vagifem/Gina pessaries. Its clearly out of date, the warnings in the leaflet are incredibly frightening, so much so if I didn't know better I would think twice before buying and be scared the whole time I used a pessary. This is the don't give a damn attitude about how women are treated that infuriates me and always leaves me on the defensive ready for the next fight.