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0:00:00 > 0:00:02- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:00:03 > 0:00:07- Yes, this is a series - about the menopause.
0:00:07 > 0:00:12- Don't dare switch channels, - because it affects us all.
0:00:13 > 0:00:14- Yes, men too.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18- I'm 53.
0:00:18 > 0:00:23- I should be prepared. - But I have no idea what to expect.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26- I'm determined to find out more.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29- How do women react to it?
0:00:29 > 0:00:31- I feel as if I've joined a club.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35- What are the available treatments?
0:00:35 > 0:00:37- I told the doctor...
0:00:38 > 0:00:42- "...Take me off HRT and it'll be - your fault if I murder someone."
0:00:42 > 0:00:45- How do women all over the world - deal with it?
0:00:46 > 0:00:48- Oh. Lovely.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52- This thing, the change, - the menopause.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54- Don't put that in!
0:00:54 > 0:00:55- Don't put that in!- - I can't say it!
0:00:58 > 0:01:02- Whatever you call it, - I'm determined to understand it.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17- Today, we'll look - at the menopause in history...
0:01:17 > 0:01:20- ..and treatments, past and present.
0:01:20 > 0:01:25- To understand what is likely - to happen to me in the menopause...
0:01:26 > 0:01:29- ..it's worth looking back, - before looking forward.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35- Has the historical portrayal - of older women...
0:01:35 > 0:01:38- ..made us a bit shy - to discuss the subject?
0:01:40 > 0:01:43- In the past, - older women were regarded...
0:01:43 > 0:01:47- ..as either powerful - or dangerous beings...
0:01:47 > 0:01:49- ..or as useless old hags.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54- When many women were together, - for example in a harem...
0:01:54 > 0:01:58- ..the older, experienced - women were respected.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02- Their experience of life - gave them high status.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07- Often, they knew natural - remedies and dispensed wise advice.
0:02:07 > 0:02:08- Experience!
0:02:08 > 0:02:13- But high status and power - could be turned against women.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16- In many cultures, - over the centuries...
0:02:16 > 0:02:20- ..women who had been - respected for their wisdom...
0:02:20 > 0:02:23- ..were suddenly - accused of being witches.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28- The idea of the older woman - as a witch still lingers.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33- Don't tell me you weren't scared - of a witch as a child.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37- It's important - to remember that attitude.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41- But what about - the history of our bodies?
0:02:41 > 0:02:43- In the Stone Age...
0:02:43 > 0:02:47- ..our bodies had developed to be - what they are now, more or less.
0:02:47 > 0:02:53- But those women would probably never - reach 40, let alone 50 years of age.
0:02:53 > 0:02:59- There has been some discussion - about the menopause.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04- Galen, regarded - as the father of doctors...
0:03:04 > 0:03:09- ..said that women lost - the ability to bear children...
0:03:09 > 0:03:11- ..after the age of 50.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15- Aristotle and Roman doctors - mentioned this.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21- For centuries, - the womb was considered...
0:03:21 > 0:03:24- ..as something that - caused problems for women.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28- The Greeks believed - the womb wandered in the body.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33- Hysteria comes from the same root - as the Greek word for womb.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36- Hysteria and the womb were linked.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40- At the start of the 19th century...
0:03:41 > 0:03:46- ..the menopause was first defined - by De Gardanne in France.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50- He wrote a book, - La Menopausie, about the change.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55- He described the condition - as the death of the womb.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58- It was a sad and great loss...
0:03:59 > 0:04:03- ..because women - lost the ability to bear children.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10- By learning more - about medicine and the body...
0:04:11 > 0:04:16- ..inevitably, menopausal women - attracted doctors' attention...
0:04:16 > 0:04:19- ..especially if they were angry...
0:04:19 > 0:04:21- ..or even worse, if they cried.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26- Doctors, who knew - too much in one respect...
0:04:26 > 0:04:29- ..but not enough, really...
0:04:29 > 0:04:34- ..began to describe the menopause - as a horrific experience.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38- Doctors thought - they could intervene and heal it.
0:04:38 > 0:04:44- Doctors, who thought of themselves - as experienced and knowledgeable...
0:04:44 > 0:04:48- ..injected a solution of lead - into women's vaginas.
0:04:48 > 0:04:49- Lead?!
0:04:50 > 0:04:52- Yes, you heard correctly.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56- One of the treatments - was a lead solution injection...
0:04:56 > 0:05:00- .."acetate of lead", - as Victorian doctors called it.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02- Surely they died?
0:05:03 > 0:05:05- How would one survive that?
0:05:06 > 0:05:09- They'd get lead poisoning, - wouldn't they?
0:05:10 > 0:05:12- They didn't have a chance.
0:05:12 > 0:05:13- Cruel.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18- Who tested if it worked?
0:05:18 > 0:05:19- Really?
0:05:21 > 0:05:23- How would that make any difference?
0:05:24 > 0:05:25- Good grief.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27- Those poor women.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29- Were they forced to have them?
0:05:30 > 0:05:33- Were they guinea pigs?
0:05:34 > 0:05:37- These men were doctors, remember.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42- At times, women themselves searched - for relief from their symptoms.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45- At other times, - husbands took control.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49- Did doctors think - they were doing the right thing?
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- There are many theories...
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- ..such as financial reasons, - or experiments.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59- But they didn't usually - help women a lot.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04- At the time, - women didn't have much say...
0:06:04 > 0:06:08- ..if someone else decided - a treatment was best for them.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13- Women's status was much lower - in Victorian times.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17- She was her husband's property.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21- Children were also - the husband's property.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26- The husband could - legally do as he wished.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30- Society accepted that - the husband could beat his wife.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34- If you were rich - and your wife was troublesome...
0:06:34 > 0:06:36- ..you could get rid of her.
0:06:36 > 0:06:42- She could be sent to another house, - or be imprisoned in the home.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46- Some husbands put - their wives in asylums...
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- ..if it was thought - they had gone too far.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52- Doctors were men.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56- Husbands had rights - over their wives.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01- If the husband said you were crazy - and should be locked in an asylum...
0:07:02 > 0:07:03- ..that's where you went.
0:07:04 > 0:07:05- There was no appeal.
0:07:05 > 0:07:11- That lasted until the second half - of the 20th century, to some extent.
0:07:14 > 0:07:15- Hold on!
0:07:15 > 0:07:20- Did the menopause - really drive some women crazy?
0:07:22 > 0:07:26- We always interpret - behaviour that doesn't fit in...
0:07:26 > 0:07:28- ..as that person's problem.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33- Maybe the menopause - freed these women...
0:07:33 > 0:07:36- ..to behave as they had wanted - for many years.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39- Now they thought, - "What does it matter?"
0:07:39 > 0:07:43- After the menopause, - some of us feel stronger...
0:07:44 > 0:07:47- ..more independent - and energetic than before.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50- Maybe if a woman - was more challenging...
0:07:50 > 0:07:53- ..it was enough - to make people say...
0:07:53 > 0:07:58- "..Ho! She isn't fit to mix - with other people, send her away."
0:07:58 > 0:08:00- Many were sent to asylums.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02- # LA MARSEILLAISE #
0:08:05 > 0:08:08- At the time - of the French Revolution...
0:08:09 > 0:08:13- ..some women who were - accused of rebellion...
0:08:14 > 0:08:17- ..said they were - in the middle of the change...
0:08:17 > 0:08:20- ..and had the right to behave badly.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24- What a great excuse!
0:08:24 > 0:08:29- In those circumstances, - the guillotine or the menopause...
0:08:29 > 0:08:31- ..they went for the menopause.
0:08:33 > 0:08:39- Doctors dispensed treatment based - on very unsound scientific bases...
0:08:39 > 0:08:43- ..and imprisoned women in asylums.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- They also made physical - interventions.
0:08:47 > 0:08:53- As scientific knowledge developed - in the 17th and 18th centuries...
0:08:53 > 0:08:58- ..more interventions were made - to the body's natural systems.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03- Doctors were overconfident - in their own abilities...
0:09:03 > 0:09:06- ..and their interpretations - of any problem.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11- They thought blood - should be lost every month.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15- So women had to be bled - after menstruation stopped...
0:09:16 > 0:09:18- ..to replace periods.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- The womb, vagina, - all the reproductive organs...
0:09:24 > 0:09:27- ..were removed, without - antiseptic or anaesthetic.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32- These operations were - usually totally unnecessary.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34- Many women died.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37- If women felt unusually sexual...
0:09:37 > 0:09:40- ..in the whirlpool - of menopausal hormones...
0:09:40 > 0:09:45- ..another treatment - was to cut out the clitoris.
0:09:47 > 0:09:48- Men again.
0:09:49 > 0:09:50- No idea.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55- That's horrific. - Thank goodness things have changed.
0:09:55 > 0:09:56- Hallelujah.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59- It's a natural process.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05- Did those doctors have some kind - of fascination with the menopause?
0:10:07 > 0:10:11- Were they carrying out - experiments, in a way?
0:10:13 > 0:10:14- Oh!
0:10:15 > 0:10:16- Ouch.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18- Ouch indeed.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22- In the second part, - we look at treatments...
0:10:22 > 0:10:26- ..which were, thank goodness, - a little more modern.
0:10:26 > 0:10:26- .
0:10:31 > 0:10:31- Subtitles
0:10:31 > 0:10:33- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:10:37 > 0:10:41- After the cruel, - experimental treatments...
0:10:41 > 0:10:45- ..for bad menopausal symptoms - in the Victorian era...
0:10:45 > 0:10:50- ..and the general belief that - the menopause made woman crazy...
0:10:50 > 0:10:53- ..by the start - of the 20th century...
0:10:53 > 0:10:58- ..the medical world began to - realize that hormones played a part.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00- It seems that it all began...
0:11:01 > 0:11:05- ..when a Parisian midwife - drank a liquid she had made...
0:11:05 > 0:11:07- ..out of a sow's ovaries.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11- It seems it worked well - on hot flushes.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14- The midwife, not the sow, of course.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21- Things developed quite rapidly.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25- By the 1960s, - hormone treatments raced ahead.
0:11:27 > 0:11:28- But what exactly is it?
0:11:29 > 0:11:32- HRT is Hormone Replacement Therapy.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37- The decreased hormones - in the woman's body are given back.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41- It involves taking a tablet.
0:11:41 > 0:11:46- There are other methods, like - patches or gel, or implants too.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51- There are options - to suit different needs.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55- It's not the answer for everyone.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57- It's worth going for a chat.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00- I've taken HRT for several years.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03- The best thing since sliced bread.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06- I was less exhausted.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10- It got rid of my severe arm ache - and it was easier to sleep.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13- Those were the three things - that bothered me.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18- I don't know why people - take the patches.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22- I think it interferes with nature.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26- It's easy for me to talk. - It didn't affect me a lot.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29- I don't know many women who took it.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31- But for those who did...
0:12:32 > 0:12:35- ..was it really necessary - to take something?
0:12:36 > 0:12:38- Personally, I think not.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41- Perhaps I'm not sympathetic enough!
0:12:42 > 0:12:45- The doctor wasn't much help.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49- She mentioned negative side effects, - such as hair loss.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51- I felt worse afterwards.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56- She tried to push HRT on me. - I refused to take it.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59- I wanted to use natural remedies.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02- They calm me down so much.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06- I can't describe the difference.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09- Before, I couldn't sleep...
0:13:09 > 0:13:11- ..I was grumpy, bloated...
0:13:12 > 0:13:14- ..and I didn't want sex.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16- It wasn't a good time.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20- I started taking HRT.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25- I'm not claiming it suits everyone, - but it suits me.
0:13:25 > 0:13:30- When I first took HRT, - I thought I'd be on it forever.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34- At the time, - there was no harm in taking HRT.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38- But like most prescription drugs...
0:13:38 > 0:13:40- ..the more I took it...
0:13:41 > 0:13:44- ..the worse the side effects became.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47- Teresa Gorman - and Mrs Thatcher praised HRT.
0:13:47 > 0:13:52- If it was good enough for them, - it was good enough for me.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55- I went on HRT and loved it.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59- I had energy and felt livelier.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03- I thought it was great.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07- I was on HRT for five years. - My blood pressure started to go up.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12- The doctor advised me - to come off HRT. That was it.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15- The doctor prescribed HRT.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17- Wonderful.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21- A few months later, - I found a lump in my breast.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25- It was OK. I had it removed.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30- Three months later, - I found another lump.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32- That was benign and was removed.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35- Then the third lump was removed.
0:14:35 > 0:14:41- I had a lot of cysts in my breast - and the HRT fed them.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43- They were the size of marbles.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47- I was taken off HRT.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53- Women need to be informed...
0:14:53 > 0:14:56- ..and advised.
0:14:56 > 0:15:01- Everyone's experience is different. - We must choose what's best for us.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05- The doctor told me I could only - be on them for ten years.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11- I said, "Take me off HRT and it'll - be your fault if I kill someone."
0:15:14 > 0:15:18- Our women had - a mixed opinion about HRT.
0:15:18 > 0:15:24- At least today - we can make an informed decision.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28- HRT can increase - the risk of certain illnesses...
0:15:29 > 0:15:32- ..including - breast cancer and stroke.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36- But it reduces - the risk of colon cancer...
0:15:36 > 0:15:40- ..as well as getting rid - of menopausal symptoms.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42- There is a choice.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46- Some HRT is tested on animals - and there are synthetic types.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49- In the 1960s, - the facts weren't clear.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53- HRT was marketed - as a cure for illness...
0:15:53 > 0:15:57- ..rather than a possible treatment - to alleviate symptoms.
0:15:58 > 0:16:04- I'm not sure if changing the - medical emphasis improved things.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07- In the 1950s and 1960s...
0:16:08 > 0:16:11- ..there was a greater emphasis - on hormonal changes.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16- People were aware - that oestrogen levels dropped.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20- This was seen as a condition - almost like diabetes.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25- It was thought women - needed more oestrogen.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30- Women were under pressure - not to gain weight...
0:16:30 > 0:16:34- ..and to avoid a high-fat diet - once they'd turned fifty.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38- But of course, - fatty foods produce oestrogen...
0:16:39 > 0:16:44- ..thus preventing - the oestrogen levels from dropping.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48- This presented - a kind of contradiction.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50- Oestrogen levels dropped.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56- But the body naturally overcomes - this by weight gain.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- This was seen as a bad thing.
0:16:59 > 0:17:04- Women lost weight - and oestrogen levels dropped.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08- The symptoms worsened as a result.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11- That led to huge companies...
0:17:12 > 0:17:14- ..producing hormone therapies...
0:17:15 > 0:17:18- ..to supply the need...
0:17:19 > 0:17:24- ..rather than us accepting it's - a natural part of a woman's life.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30- And so, if HRT isn't for you...
0:17:30 > 0:17:35- ..there's a vast choice of - alternative and natural therapies.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40- Some women use herbs and plants.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45- I usually use a combination - of eight herbs.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48- It's in the form of a tincture...
0:17:48 > 0:17:53- ..infused in alcohol - and taken in water.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57- I treat the causes - rather than the symptoms.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02- There are many factors to consider.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05- But everyone is an individual.
0:18:05 > 0:18:11- What I'd give you would be different - from what I'd give someone else.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14- Some women need - to boost their livers.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20- It's important the liver is strong - to see her through this time.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24- I might use dandelion roots.
0:18:25 > 0:18:30- I combine various ingredients - to treat different symptoms.
0:18:31 > 0:18:37- Lavender can help - the liver and mood.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43- It helps keep - the body temperature down.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48- I could use Ladies Mantile...
0:18:49 > 0:18:52- ..if a woman loses a lot of blood.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56- It slows down the blood flow.
0:18:56 > 0:19:02- Vitex agnes-castus - can help improve hormone balance.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07- You'd have to use that over - a few months.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09- It's very good...
0:19:10 > 0:19:14- ..especially when - the menopause approaches.
0:19:15 > 0:19:20- It's vital to look - at the woman's diet.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25- Acidic food can upset the body.
0:19:26 > 0:19:31- Women should avoid high sugar foods, - coffee...
0:19:31 > 0:19:35- ..and eat foods - that are as natural as possible.
0:19:35 > 0:19:41- That way, the woman will get - the minerals and vitamins.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50- Has anyone tried natural treatments?
0:19:51 > 0:19:57- I took bottles of black cohosh, - red clover and sage.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59- It made no difference.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02- It made no difference.- - I looked into healthy eating.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08- I discovered that - seeds and nuts helped.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14- They definitely gave me more energy.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20- I still take seeds and nuts - on my cereal every day.
0:20:20 > 0:20:26- I went on holiday to Greece - and tried various herbs.
0:20:26 > 0:20:31- I bought three bags of the stuff. - It tasted like wormwood.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36- I couldn't drink it. - I threw the bags in the bin.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39- I knew I'd never be able to face it.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42- That was money down the drain.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47- I've spent a fortune.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53- I saw a Chinese herbalist - thinking this might be the answer.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55- I spent a fortune.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01- Different things work - for different people.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06- Herbs, diet, tablets and - vitamins, meditation and yoga.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10- We can do some ourselves for free.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12- Others cost a fortune.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15- How about a foot massage?
0:21:15 > 0:21:17- Reflexology.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21- I thought that helped a bit.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25- But you have to go often - and it can be expensive.
0:21:26 > 0:21:31- It's 30 a session. - I needed three sessions a week.
0:21:32 > 0:21:37- I'll try anything. - I even wear a magnet in my knickers.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42- Do you want to see it?!
0:21:44 > 0:21:47- That was meant - to alleviate the symptoms.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51- It was only 20. - So I sent away for it.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55- It was nothing compared - to what I'd already spent.
0:21:55 > 0:22:00- I gave it a go and at least - I wasn't swallowing anything.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03- I've been wearing it for four years.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07- I have to say, - it does alleviate the symptoms.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12- Maybe I'm a sucker for a gadget, - but I think it works.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16- Someone asked me, - "Do you think it works?"
0:22:16 > 0:22:18- Then someone piped up...
0:22:18 > 0:22:22- "..Every time she walks in the - kitchen, the cutlery drawer opens!"
0:22:23 > 0:22:28- At least the remedies don't involve - surgery without anaesthetic...
0:22:29 > 0:22:31- ..or being pumped with lead.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- We've come a long way, - thank goodness.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39- We can make decisions - after researching the facts.
0:22:39 > 0:22:45- That's cause for celebration. - But it still isn't an easy decision.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49- Would I opt for HRT?
0:22:50 > 0:22:52- If I had severe symptoms...
0:22:53 > 0:22:56- ..I'd want to do something about it.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00- I'd go for alternative - treatments first.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03- If they didn't work...
0:23:03 > 0:23:07- ..I might try green remedies...
0:23:07 > 0:23:12- ..or a product that - didn't cause any animal to suffer...
0:23:12 > 0:23:14- ..just for a little bit.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18- I would.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22- Next time, I'll look - at different cultures...
0:23:22 > 0:23:25- ..and take a test.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46- S4C Subtitles by Gwead
0:23:47 > 0:23:47- .