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[KarineT]

If only menopause started when we were no longer in the workforce, it may be easier to deal with.

[Kat36]

I don’t think she’s realistic. Her whole campaign hasn’t necessarily come from a place of caring for the country’s women…it’s all about keeping her in the public eye.  How can she have true empathy, she’ll never experience the struggle most women will have with this…useless GPs, waiting for months to get an appointment at the menopause clinic, poking our way in the dark at how to get optimal outcomes from our hrt.  Indeed, by doing this hrt requests have shot up…with little to no regard from her or channel 4  before the release of the documentaries about what this might do to supply & demand. They might have consulted better with professionals around the impact of this. Many celebrities are jumping on that bandwagon now too…Lisa Snowdon, the Loose Women etc.  I agree with the comments above that these women won’t have the struggles that us “regular” women will (fyi I think we’re all extraordinary not regular lol). I have a real bee in my bonnet about menopause in the media at the minute lol. 

[Peana]

kat36, I get where you're coming from, she will have a totally different experience to most of us (I've almost given up trying to proactively contact my GP when it's time for a review as it's just about impossible to get an appointment, but luckily the surgery will contact me instead before repeating my prescription).  Heaven forbid I want to speak to her outside of this time - it can be a total lottery.

However, there have been issues around the supply of HRT for years now (they would often feature it on Women's hour on radio 4).  I personally think that the best way to get this sorted is to make a BIG noise, that can't be ignored.  Yes, it has exacerbated things in the short term, but I'm hopeful that it will make things better in the long term.  I want things to change so that generations after me get taken seriously.  At least with the media spotlight at the moment some things are hopefully starting to change (although I think we need more GPs / specialist nurses and better training / guidance / research, not necessarily 'tsars').

[ATB]

Gosh, I’m a bit surprised at the personal attacks on a woman just because she has more money than some of us might. Assuming she’s just doing this for her career is really just mean. Completely unnecessary. Let’s not do this to other women, we all struggle, having money doesn’t automatically make your life trouble-free and Davina works very hard. She has done 2 programmes, this is not her main source of income. She, as has been noted, can go private so her work to raise awareness in the NHS and get better care is for all of us that don’t have her choices and options. Because of her I now get my HRT on the NHS, a massive help as I had to close my business because of this and am now unemployed. As far as workplace policies go, of course it will make a difference. Just like when policies were introduced for pregnancy and childcare. These things won’t help everyone but it’s alongside raising awareness and dispelling myths about HRT. Better treatment also means you’re less likely to need a workplace policy tor this but for those that don’t get on with HRT and suffer through it, it can at least give people clear evidence-backed reasons for your illness and that means a lot.

For those moaning about what she’s doing, what are you doing about it? I write to my MP, my GP, the NHS. I don’t have her platform but if I did I’d do the same and wouldn’t let the fact I had money get in the way of helping other women that don’t. Honestly, some people just like to pick at others efforts behind their screen while they do absolutely nothing to help.

[Evie606]

I do appreciate Davina McCall and others raising awareness and getting the conversations going and encouraging women to go to their gps. It does seem to be in the media much more often now which is great.

However, my only issue is they always seem to make out that HRT is the wonder cure for everything.
I’d rather they toned it down a bit to say that it’s worth a try to see IF it helps but as most of the ladies on here are aware, it’s a long road trying different combinations. Progesterone intolerance is a big issue along with not absorbing oestrogen. Testosterone isn’t widely available either unless you pay for private consultants.
I’ve been on HRT for 3 years and still haven’t cracked the “life changing” experience that the celebrities talk about which does point to the benefit of them having private healthcare.
Hopefully their campaigning will make more HRT options available to all along with a more sympathetic workplace.

[Nas]

Totally agree Evie.
Davina is doing a grand job in raising awareness around the menopause, Hrt options and how symptoms can impact on daily life.

However, throw progesterone intolerance, bleeding, obtaining HRT itself and gauging the correct dose of hormones
( potential including testosterone ) it no longer appears to be black and white.

It’s all a start though and hopefully menopause will no longer become a ‘taboo’ subject in modern society.

[ATB]

Hopefully as we keep the conversation going, the difficulty even in starting HRT will become a bigger part of that discussion because it’s super important too.

[KarineT]

Winterose, the thing is that if you have your own business, you can do what you like in most cases because it's yours and you're in control.  Those who work for others haven't got that control and could end up in a terrible situation through no fault of their own.

[ATB]

Not really. If you have your own business you have to work or you don’t get paid, and you can lose clients permanently if there isn’t someone to take over. Being self employed is difficult if you’re on your own as it revolves around you, you can lose everything if unable to work.

[Floradora]

One extremely good thing to come out of the program is that the Scottish Medicines Consortium will be forced to approve Utrogesten for general easy access NHS prescribing as the media attention around it is so high they will be completely unable to justify not approving. In my view, there should be a complete UK wide list of licensed approved HRT and any individual GP should be able to pick the products that are most suitable for their patients off the list instead of this faffing around looking for things on the approved local formulary and huge amounts of paperwork if they actually want to prescribe something not on the local list. In the wider scheme of things there is not a great deal of diffence in cost between all the HRT products and in terms of the whole NHS budget it’s tiny!  I’m not on Utrogesten but I would be extremely hacked off if I had to go to private gynae /meno specialist to get it prescribed if it was the most appropriate for me .

[KarineT]

Yes. ypu can lose everything if you can't work.  I've never said that it was easy to work for yourself but you still have more control than employees. Employees has no say & can lose their job if they can no longer perform. They, ultimately, also end up with nothing.  And if they are over 50, it's even tougher to find another job because of discriminstion.  If they have to take time off work because of the menopause, they will get nothing apart from maybe SSP which doesn't pay for the first 3 days and it's not that much thereafter. And they cannot be on SSP forever.

[ATB]

Yes, I’m not saying employed people aren’t in positions where they can lose all their income. I’m saying self employed people do too. I’m not sure why you think there’s a huge difference. What do you think happens when a self employed person can’t work? They can not only lose income but any investment in their business if it then fails. Being self employed doesn’t protect you from loss of income at all.

[Emm225]

I have just watched the programme...I agree with everything everyone has put on here.  I left my job in a big organisation in education...I just felt I didn't want to cope with it all anymore, I used to feel absolutely wiped out halfway through the week and ended up often coming down with a migraine.  I adored my job and still can't believe I am not doing it any more...I am 56 and yes, I realise very lucky I could change careers and go part time.  Yes, there is " a menopause policy" but to be fair it's just all fur coat and no knickers...nothing comes of it really.  I know someone working in the NHS and sadly they have been disciplined...and it is a result of brain fog etc.

I would LOVE to go privately....I can't afford it.  I have just had to change the make of my oestrogen as the NHS chemists near me can't get it.   I have also...hopefully temporally, had to reduce the dose as my lining was 4.7 and I am awaiting the result of a hysteroscopy. 
 I wonder if I should have testosterone too....but the NHS doesn't prescribe that.  I had to fight for HRT...one doctor prescribed me anti depressants and another talked to me about how I should re consider because her mum took it and got cancer.  However, my life without it is not really worth living...for me it's mostly mental...the terrible sadness and flatness, the anxiety and the fatigue.   As for libido...what's that? Certainly not with me much now....   I bet men wouldn't have to go through all this.....

[sheila99]

You can get testosterone on the nhs, ask for a referral to an NHS menopause clinic.

[KarineT]

Emm 225, It's a terrible think to have to leave one's job but I admire you as you plucked up the courage to do it.  Brain fog is a terrible thing but it's very hard to function with anxiety and low mood on a regular basis.  I also wonder what would happen if men had the same issues. As  for women who hardly have any symptoms, would they be understanding towards those who struggle? Probably not.