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Davina McCall’s new menopause documentary praised for ‘lifting the lid’ on women’s healthcare
13 May 2021, 11:37
Davina McCall has admitted she felt 'all washed up' after going through the menopause
Viewers have praised Davina McCall’s ‘empowering’ menopause documentary.
Davina McCall has been praised by viewers after opening up about her experience with the menopause.
The 53-year-old appeared in one-off documentary ‘Davina McCall, Sex, Myths and Menopause’, which explores stereotypes and misconceptions.
Thanking Davina for her honesty, one Twitter user wrote: “Absolutely incredible it is still going on. Fabulous show! You should be so proud.”
Another said: “All I can say is Thank You @ThisisDavina I see people all day long and will spread the word of this amazing programme.
All I can say is Thank You @ThisisDavina I see people all day long and will spread the word of this amazing programme. Soooo many are lost because of this ❤️ including me! #davinamenopause #KnowledgeMatters
— Sinwaxing (@sinwaxing) May 12, 2021
Thank you #davinamenopause for talking about the menopause. We suffer in silence, are judged by people and family and struggle in silence to cope with the symptoms. We need to talk more about it
— Vini Lander (@LanderVini) May 12, 2021
“Sooo many are lost because of this, including me!”
A third commented: “Thank you @thisisDavina for such an informative and important programme. So vital that more is known about this subject.”
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While a fourth added: “Thank you #davinamenopause for talking about the menopause. We suffer in silence, are judged by people and family and struggle in silence to cope with the symptoms. We need to talk more about it.”
The menopause is when the ovaries no longer produce high levels of hormones, so a person stops having periods and cannot become pregnant naturally.
While it usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55, during her one-hour special Davina admitted she felt angry after finding out she was perimenopausal at 44.
In the opening scene, the presenter can be heard saying: “It was January 2021. I was on a photoshoot in Prague and one night struggled to get to sleep. The day after, I felt like I'd aged 10 years overnight.
“I got such a bad hot flush in a makeup chair one day I actually asked the makeup lady if the chair was heated and they looked at me like I was really weird.
“And then I got in touch with some real shame around it and I felt embarrassed. I felt quite washed up I think and unable to talk to anyone about it.
“First I was frustrated, then I was tearful and then I was angry.”
After trying to manage her symptoms with herbal remedies and exercise, Davina decided to begin taking Hormone Replacement Therapy through a translucent patch.
She went on to explore reports around the health risks of HRT, as well as addressing misconceptions around the menopause and sex.
You can find out more about the symptoms and treatments of menopause on the NHS website here.
