Our interview with Dr Louise Newson last week provoked a massive conversation among our chatty Second Act community — and it’s clear that there’s still lots of work to be done when it comes to making the world of menopause and HRT clearer and less overwhelming for more women.
In the interview, to promote her new Prime and Apple TV documentary Balance: A Perimenopause Journey, Dr Newson spoke about how she doesn’t like the word menopause — which might sound like an odd admission from someone who’s made her name as the UK’s best-known menopause expert. But what she said made total sense — using menopause as a blanket term can feel lazy and unhelpful for the huge range of symptoms and experiences (and not all of them negative either) that women can go through in their forties, fifties and beyond.
“I’m trying to change the language and thinking about being really clear about which hormone it is that we need,” she told us. “When people talk about menopause and HRT, it’s almost like everyone’s the same – and they are not. That’s what used to happen, which wasn’t very good really.”
When we polled our Second Act audience, 69% agreed with Dr Newson that “menopause” is far too vague. And our Facebook community had lots to say about it too.
“The thing is you don’t want to know until things happen, then it’s lots of little surprises, because you don’t know that’s coming or how long it’s going to last, and it’s different for everybody, so it’s so nice when you do find people who understand,” said one Second Act follower.
Another added: “I talk to friends and colleagues about symptoms and they were so surprised that it’s not just hot flashes. Nice to be told what may happen, then you know you’re not going mad!”
And we agree whole-heartedly with this sentiment too: “I could never have imagined what it was like until it hit me. I cannot imagine how it was generations ago when women had to shut up and put up as it would be frowned up on to talk about . Now we can share and keep trying to find ways to manage and cope through this difficult time. I got breast cancer just to add to my menopause that was already hard . We can never think it is too often spoken about, it can be a lonely place and always searching for what help there is out there and comfort.”
Another follower agreed with Dr Newson’s rebrand: “I think changing the language as to what’s going on (in our bodies) helps get the right treatment and it makes people understand more.”
One thing’s for sure, menopause is a provocative topic, and one with a huge amount of confusion around it. But here at Second Act, we’re glad to be opening up these conversations and so glad that menopause is no longer a total taboo, to be talked about in hushed tones — or not at all! Instead, these days you can guarantee that any meetup between midlife women (or “women of a certain age” as we used to be called!) will eventually turn into a chat about the many weird and wacky symptoms we’re experiencing between us — and how we’re dealing with them. Panic attacks, rage, hot flushes, insomnia, low libido, high libido, hair loss, hairiness… take a handful of women over 40, and you can guarantee they can tick off every single one (and a whole lot more besides) between them.
Of course, it’s also important to emphasise that HRT isn’t a cure-all or a must-have for everybody in this phase of life — and even Dr Newson herself, a strong and vocal advocate for HRT, revealed that lifestyle changes are as key to managing her symptoms as hormones for her.
Here at Second Act, we love shining a light on the many different ways women ride out this crazy time — and, even more importantly, shining a light on the fact that midlife is about so much more than just menopause.
HELLO!’s Second Act is a newsletter for women in midlife and beyond. It’s completely free to sign up and is a one-stop-shop for advice and inspiration on the issues our Second Act community have told us matter most: health, relationships, travel, menopause, divorce, careers, finance and more.
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