Women are struggling to get treatment for the menopause or to be diagnosed with the condition, new research suggests.
A survey of 5,187 women found that many had suffered symptoms, such as hot flushes, and some had to visit their GP several times before getting the help they needed.
Around 70% of women in the poll were aged 45 to 55 and most of those had experienced sweats, low mood, anxiety, memory problems, brain fog and/or joint pains.
The majority (74%) had been experiencing menopausal symptoms for more than a year, while 15% said this had been the case for more than six years.
The menopause is when a woman stops having periods and is no longer able to get pregnant naturally.
The menopause is the new black. Midlife women s health is suddenly in the spotlight even royalty joined in, as Sophie, Countess of Wessex, spoke of it being a shackle last week and GPs are under pressure.
The subject went viral the night Davina McCall s documentary Sex, Myths And The Menopause, a programme I devised and wrote, aired on Channel 4, and the presenter was startlingly honest about her own menopause, admitting she d been told not to talk about her hot flushes and brain fog as it was a bit unsavoury . The film revealed that many women were being turned away without medical help, as #davinamenopause trended on Twitter.
Channel 4, Wednesday
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Here is my advice to you, and it is the best advice you will receive this week: do not abandon The Pursuit Of Love after the first episode (of three). It is tempting, admittedly.
Too try-hard, that episode. Too desperate to be modern and hip and cool, in ways that aren’t that modern or hip or cool any more. Pop songs, slow-mo, freeze frames, weird dances and one of those frantic, accelerated paces most recently seen in The Great.
It had everything thrown at it. So much so that you wanted to shake it by the shoulders and say: ‘Settle down. Breathe. Nothing wrong with telling it straight. Nothing wrong with giving us something to feel.’
Updated: 12 May 2021, 21:38
BLURRY vision and night sweats were just some of the symptoms Davina McCall experienced before finding out that she was going through the menopause at just 44 years old.
Now at 53, The Masked Singer judge is on a mission to educate the nation and fronting a Channel 4 documentary, Davina McCall: Sex, Myths And The Menopause, which airs on tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.
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Davina McCall is host of the Channel 4 show Davina McCall: Sex, Myths And The MenopauseCredit: Channel 4
In addition to debunking some of the myths associated with the sometimes debilitating condition, Davina speaks to other women about their own experiences on the show, and to experts who reveal what sufferers can do to help alleviate symptoms.
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She was seen clutching her mobile phone as she chatted to Zoe, 50, about her new television programme called Sex, Myths And The Menopause.
The Masked Singer judge is set to discuss her experience with menopause and taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the documentary which airs later on Wednesday.
Deep in discussion: The TV host, 53, rocked her casual ensemble as she was heard talking to fellow presenter, Zoe Ball, through EarPods on the scenic walk
Comfortable: Davina opted for practical white trainers and her thick jacket featured a BT Sport Relief Challenges badge
And ahead of her show, Davina opened up in an online Q&A about going through the menopause and not realising what was happening to her body.