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As a bloke I had no clue about the menopause until I tried a hot flushes vest, says Adrian Chiles
LOTS of women aren't prepared for symptoms of menopause, so it's no wonder men often aren't that clued up either.
In fact, when The Sun asked TV presenter Adrian Chiles - in honour of World Menopause Day - he admitted he knew very little about menopause at all.
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So did wearing a MenoVest, which mimics menopausal hot flushes, help him better understand what women go through and the symptoms they have to deal with?
Here’s how he got on…
LIKE most blokes, I know a great deal less about the menopause than I should.
Physiologically, I haven’t got a clue what’s going on. This is pretty disgraceful.
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In my 55 years I really should have made the effort.
My Mum, after all, is a woman, as is my wife, as are my daughters, as are roughly half the people I know, love and work with.
As well as knowing next to nothing about the causes of the menopause, neither can I say with a straight face that I much appreciate the effects, the symptoms.
As with many men I hide behind the oh-I-daren’t-open-my-mouth mantra we repeat when asked why we don’t discuss the menopause or pre-menstrual tension with our partners.
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In fact, let’s examine the extent of the knowledge of this moderately intelligent writer and broadcaster who considers himself to be a kind and caring chap.
It won’t take long because I now realise I essentially knew only two things: 1) It makes women feel a bit hot. 2) It makes women a bit, erm, cranky.
I think it’s safe to say that if I ever get to go on Mastermind, the menopause won’t be my specialist subject.
My knowledge – if that’s not too strong a word – of hot flushes was gleaned from observing my Mum when I was a teenager.
Every now and then she’d whip her jumper off, run outside, and stand in the garden for a bit. I wondered what that was all about.
For all these reasons, when The Sun asked me to try a MenoVest on for size I was only too happy to oblige.
At first it felt okay as I strolled around my local park drawing some puzzled glances.
There was an autumnal nip in the air and I was somewhat glad of the warmth.
But then it cooled down and I felt a bit chilly again. Before long I was either too hot or too cold.
What a monumental pain it must be to have this going on all day.
Coat on, coat off, jumper needed, jumper not needed.
I went to get a coffee, although, flushing hot and cold I wasn’t sure whether I wanted a hot or cold drink. I got both.
I’d had it on for nearly an hour now, and that was quite enough. And yes, I was getting a bit, erm, cranky.
I tried to cheer myself up by sending my sister-in-law, who’s a doctor specialising in the menopause, a photo of myself in the vest.
I was looking for praise and approval from her, but all I got back was, “Yes, very good.
“But wear it all night if you really want the full menopause experience.”
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Point taken. I handed the MenoVest back.
As Liz Truss kept saying, I get it and I have listened.
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Fabulous Menopause Matters
An estimated one in five of the UK’s population are currently experiencing it.
Yet the menopause is still whispered in hush tones like it’s something to be embarrassed about.
The stigma attached to the transition means women have been suffering in silence for centuries.
The Sun are determined to change that, launching the Fabulous Menopause Matters campaign to give the taboo a long-awaited kick, and get women the support they need.
The campaign has three aims:
- To make HRT free in England
- To get every workplace to have a menopause policy to provide support
- To bust taboos around the menopause
The campaign has been backed by a host of influential figures including Baroness Karren Brady CBE, celebrities Lisa Snowdon, Jane Moore, Michelle Heaton, Zoe Hardman, Saira Khan, Trisha Goddard, as well as Dr Louise Newson, Carolyn Harris MP, Jess Phillips MP, Caroline Nokes MP and Rachel Maclean MP.
Exclusive research commissioned by Fabulous, which surveyed 2,000 British women aged 45-65 who are going through or have been through the menopause, found that 49% of women suffered feelings of depression, while 7% felt suicidal while going through the menopause.
50% of respondents said there is not enough support out there for menopausal women, which is simply not good enough. It’s time to change that.
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