WEBVTT - Episode 3: The Hag Witches 0:00:00.520 --> 0:00:01.880 Hi, It's Patrini Jones. 0:00:01.920 --> 0:00:03.800 You know, I've lost count the number of times I've 0:00:03.840 --> 0:00:06.080 been live on our radio show and I'll be chatting 0:00:06.120 --> 0:00:09.680 away and just completely lose my train of thought. It's 0:00:09.760 --> 0:00:12.440 like a rug ripped out from under my feet. I've 0:00:12.440 --> 0:00:14.880 come to learn that it's a common symptom of perimenopause 0:00:14.920 --> 0:00:17.439 and menopause. You know, the so called brain fog that 0:00:17.520 --> 0:00:20.760 leaves you feeling totally abandoned, But it can be downright 0:00:20.800 --> 0:00:23.320 embarrassing at times, leaving you with fears that you'll be 0:00:23.360 --> 0:00:26.520 seen as incompetent in the workplace. In fact, a recent 0:00:26.800 --> 0:00:30.160 HCF survey found more than one third of ossie women 0:00:30.320 --> 0:00:33.720 over forty five are concerned about menopause in the workplace 0:00:33.760 --> 0:00:37.879 having a negative impact on the perception of their productivity, 0:00:38.200 --> 0:00:41.680 which leads to my next guest. Imagen Crump is an 0:00:41.800 --> 0:00:45.680 editor of the University of Melbourne's Research News website and 0:00:45.800 --> 0:00:50.120 presenter on ABC TV, and really should be applauded for 0:00:50.159 --> 0:00:54.720 her authenticity when she admitted live on National TV that 0:00:54.800 --> 0:00:57.680 she was having a hot flush and really couldn't push 0:00:57.680 --> 0:01:00.960 on with her report. Imagen, did I feel what so 0:01:01.200 --> 0:01:05.000 many women should feel safe to do? Enjoy and take 0:01:05.080 --> 0:01:08.880 inspiration from episode three, The Hag, which is. 0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:13.640 I really want to talk about this. Let's move on 0:01:13.680 --> 0:01:14.479 to The Australian. 0:01:14.760 --> 0:01:17.160 It has the latest on the Prime Ministers visit the China. 0:01:17.640 --> 0:01:22.320 Yes and not a pardon Michael, big chill, but the 0:01:22.360 --> 0:01:27.839 PM doesn't pander yet. So the bilateral meeting between Australia 0:01:27.880 --> 0:01:34.600 and China. Anthony Alberteasi and Chinese. I'm so sorry I 0:01:34.640 --> 0:01:37.600 could keep stumbling through this, but I am having such 0:01:37.600 --> 0:01:40.440 a perimonal perimedopausal. 0:01:40.360 --> 0:01:43.959 Right now live on air. It's so Softogen. 0:01:44.520 --> 0:01:46.800 The point about this is that we need to make 0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:50.680 it normal of these kinds of conversations. And I love 0:01:50.720 --> 0:01:54.800 you for even saying it, because we interview people, we 0:01:54.920 --> 0:01:58.720 talk to people about this, and this is the reality. 0:01:58.960 --> 0:02:01.760 I don't think respect national television. 0:02:02.280 --> 0:02:03.600 It's the furthest of the sun. 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:07.520 That audio there thanks to ABC TV, and I do 0:02:07.760 --> 0:02:11.880 have in the studio in the flesh, Imagen Crumb, I'm 0:02:11.919 --> 0:02:14.320 so sorry to make you sit through that again. 0:02:14.520 --> 0:02:17.840 It's weird to listen through. It is weird to hear it. 0:02:18.120 --> 0:02:21.000 And it sort of flashed back to that moment when 0:02:21.040 --> 0:02:24.399 it was happening and trying to decide what to do. 0:02:25.360 --> 0:02:27.720 And sort of catching yourself on the run, isn't it. 0:02:28.000 --> 0:02:31.000 Imagen is the editor of the University of Melbourne's research 0:02:31.160 --> 0:02:35.600 news website Pursuit, and is a regular paper reviewer on 0:02:35.680 --> 0:02:38.160 the ABC, which we heard on her there. 0:02:38.560 --> 0:02:40.960 Can I say, I. 0:02:40.919 --> 0:02:44.440 Think what you're Can we call it a happy faux pas? 0:02:45.240 --> 0:02:50.399 It really was a milestone moment I think in changing 0:02:50.440 --> 0:02:56.560 the narrative of perimenopause and menopause. I applaud you as 0:02:56.600 --> 0:03:00.839 a presenter in media. No, really, because I have had 0:03:01.000 --> 0:03:04.639 so many brain fog moments I've been on the radio 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:09.920 and you don't want to admit that you're having a 0:03:10.000 --> 0:03:14.280 moment or that you're struggling for fear of being seen 0:03:14.520 --> 0:03:19.040 as weak in the workplace. What was going through your mind? Like, 0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:21.160 what was happening for you at that time? 0:03:21.639 --> 0:03:27.280 Well, you know, I was thinking in bullet points, so 0:03:27.520 --> 0:03:33.960 and it hot flushes like that happened so quickly, and 0:03:34.000 --> 0:03:36.200 I hadn't had one for a while, so I wasn't 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:40.320 expecting it to happen, And you just feel this the 0:03:40.320 --> 0:03:44.320 best way to describe it is it's like molten lava 0:03:44.400 --> 0:03:48.400 that just rolls up your body and it's got little 0:03:48.520 --> 0:03:53.600 needle pricks as well, and it is so distracting and 0:03:53.720 --> 0:03:59.040 all absorbing that it's very hard to think about what else. 0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:02.760 Is you know, body, it's zero to one hundred, zero 0:04:02.800 --> 0:04:06.560 point three of a second and it's just like spontaneous combustion. 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:09.800 I can't describe it any And it's like peeling clothes 0:04:09.840 --> 0:04:12.640 off if you're at home and just hair goes up. 0:04:13.280 --> 0:04:16.680 Everyone just stopped talking, TV goes off. 0:04:16.560 --> 0:04:19.760 Like everything is too much. It really is everything. It's 0:04:19.800 --> 0:04:23.839 like a sensory overlap, absolutely, and like that's the that's 0:04:23.880 --> 0:04:27.960 the physical stuff. But then your brain is so focused 0:04:28.000 --> 0:04:32.480 on the physical stuff you can't think about anything else. So, 0:04:33.160 --> 0:04:36.080 you know, I was talking about quite a serious story, 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:41.400 these bilateral meetings between China and Australia, massive important thing, 0:04:42.279 --> 0:04:47.960 and I I just couldn't explain it, and I was 0:04:48.120 --> 0:04:51.359 kind of it's that I guess it must feel like 0:04:51.520 --> 0:04:54.200 stage fright, which I'm lucky enough not to have had. 0:04:54.240 --> 0:04:56.920 But well, you just can't think of the next words. 0:04:57.760 --> 0:05:02.360 And so in that moment, in that bullet point, I 0:05:02.520 --> 0:05:05.640 was like, I just have to explain. I just have 0:05:05.760 --> 0:05:10.839 to explain what's happening, and exactly what you said, I 0:05:10.880 --> 0:05:13.000 don't want to look inept at my job. I'm good 0:05:13.080 --> 0:05:17.320 at my job, so I need to provide an explanation. 0:05:17.560 --> 0:05:19.880 And I've had a lot of women say since, well, 0:05:20.400 --> 0:05:23.560 why didn't you just say you're feeling sick or why not? 0:05:23.560 --> 0:05:27.599 Not in a critical way, but just in a did 0:05:27.600 --> 0:05:29.160 it not occur to you way? 0:05:29.320 --> 0:05:33.279 And I was like, I agree, I agree. 0:05:32.960 --> 0:05:36.120 And I think in that that moment, I was like, 0:05:37.120 --> 0:05:38.360 I'm just going to explain. 0:05:38.480 --> 0:05:40.320 I'm just going to say and. 0:05:40.320 --> 0:05:44.000 I will also say, you know, kudos to Lisa and Michael, 0:05:44.080 --> 0:05:48.200 particularly Lisa, and I think that was part of it. 0:05:48.520 --> 0:05:51.400 I've been doing the paper reviews for quite a while 0:05:51.960 --> 0:05:55.200 and I guess I kind of felt safe enough absolutely 0:05:55.279 --> 0:05:56.960 to say it totally forgetting about that. 0:05:58.839 --> 0:06:01.600 You got that trust on it and it's so important, 0:06:01.600 --> 0:06:03.880 and for me as a presenter, I thought it was 0:06:03.920 --> 0:06:05.360 actually quite a beautiful thing. 0:06:06.440 --> 0:06:07.719 It was a beautiful thing. 0:06:07.640 --> 0:06:11.080 And how they both rallied behind it rally and this 0:06:11.160 --> 0:06:14.800 is what we need to do. HCF The Health Fund 0:06:14.839 --> 0:06:19.120 has done a really interesting recent survey on perimenopause and 0:06:19.160 --> 0:06:22.320 the impacts on the workplace. More than one in three 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:25.320 Aussie women over the age of forty five say The 0:06:25.360 --> 0:06:28.159 main areas are concern are that they feel it could 0:06:28.200 --> 0:06:32.599 have a negative impact on the perception of women's productivity 0:06:32.800 --> 0:06:36.080 or performance in the workplace. Three and ten thirty percent 0:06:36.240 --> 0:06:39.839 are concerned that their colleagues or managers may think that 0:06:39.880 --> 0:06:43.000 they can't do their job properly if they let them 0:06:43.080 --> 0:06:46.760 know they were struggling because of the symptoms. 0:06:46.920 --> 0:06:47.479 That's real. 0:06:47.839 --> 0:06:52.279 So when we're pregnant and we have horrific morning sickness, 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:55.880 we're not afraid to say, hey, can't come in today, 0:06:56.120 --> 0:07:00.640 put my head down the toilet. I think we need 0:07:00.680 --> 0:07:03.240 to change the narrative, and doing what you did on 0:07:03.320 --> 0:07:06.640 the ABC is helping to do that. We need to 0:07:06.760 --> 0:07:09.360 talk about it, we need to normalize it totally. 0:07:09.400 --> 0:07:12.840 And you know, it is kind of flumming saying why 0:07:12.880 --> 0:07:17.400 it's so taboo. I mean, I guess with pregnancy, you know, 0:07:17.440 --> 0:07:22.360 it's so physically obvious that that you are with child 0:07:22.640 --> 0:07:28.280 and all those associated symptoms, and I think with perimenopause 0:07:28.880 --> 0:07:35.520 it's more subtle and it's more sneaky. And you know, people, 0:07:36.120 --> 0:07:40.480 a lot of these these women, most women who are 0:07:40.480 --> 0:07:43.200 going through it, are kind of at the peak of 0:07:43.240 --> 0:07:46.800 their careers, right, so they've reached a point where they're 0:07:46.840 --> 0:07:51.080 competent and they're confident, and they're potentially in really quite 0:07:51.160 --> 0:07:55.200 powerful positions all these decades to get to the play 0:07:55.800 --> 0:08:02.240 and so to then be undermine, yes, by their hormones. 0:08:02.400 --> 0:08:05.800 And it's not by their hormones, it's by other people's 0:08:05.880 --> 0:08:09.480 judgment of their hormones that that they might think they're 0:08:09.520 --> 0:08:14.800 inept or bad at their jobs because of a you know, 0:08:15.440 --> 0:08:18.200 two to twenty five second hot flush. 0:08:19.240 --> 0:08:22.000 Is just seems so weird, right. 0:08:22.200 --> 0:08:26.760 The stigma is, I don't know why. Why is there 0:08:26.800 --> 0:08:30.880 a stigma? It's a natural bodily process, as is menstruating 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:32.559 and pregnancy, childbirth. 0:08:32.640 --> 0:08:35.440 Yep, I don't I don't get it. 0:08:35.480 --> 0:08:38.800 I don't know. There must be there must be a 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:44.760 historical reason or a societal reason that you know, I've 0:08:44.800 --> 0:08:46.880 had a whole lot of women getting in touch with me, 0:08:46.920 --> 0:08:51.959 which has been amazing, referring to us as the hag witches, 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:55.320 which I quite like. I don't mind being a hag witch. 0:08:55.880 --> 0:09:02.160 But I guess there must be something cultural societally where 0:09:02.679 --> 0:09:07.160 menopause is seen as something bad and it's you know, 0:09:07.200 --> 0:09:09.400 it's probably tied up in women's aging. 0:09:09.520 --> 0:09:13.199 Yes, yeah, sh shove you into the top paddic and 0:09:13.840 --> 0:09:15.240 you're top part. 0:09:16.200 --> 0:09:19.200 You're not good to us anymore, you can't procreate. Off 0:09:19.240 --> 0:09:21.680 you go and live out your days in the top paddic. 0:09:22.080 --> 0:09:25.559 Yeah, more than three and five more HCF stats, more 0:09:25.559 --> 0:09:28.360 than three and five sixty two percent of those workings. 0:09:28.360 --> 0:09:31.120 So they would have concerns about it being discussed more 0:09:31.679 --> 0:09:35.800 if conversations were normalized, with those working full time much 0:09:35.880 --> 0:09:39.199 more likely than those working part time to cite their 0:09:39.240 --> 0:09:42.840 colleagues managers potentially thinking that they can't do their job. 0:09:43.400 --> 0:09:48.880 Oh that's so yeah, so frustrating. And you know these 0:09:48.920 --> 0:09:56.679 are these are judgments where as women are making about 0:09:56.679 --> 0:10:01.640 ourselves as well, Like we're taught to keep storm on 0:10:01.679 --> 0:10:07.600 this and I don't know, it's so subtle how we're 0:10:07.920 --> 0:10:13.520 influenced not to talk about it, and I genuinely don't 0:10:13.520 --> 0:10:14.160 know why. 0:10:14.400 --> 0:10:14.600 It's. 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:19.439 Yes, it's crap for a lot of women to experience, 0:10:19.640 --> 0:10:27.480 and it is discombobulating and disconcerting and bouncy and it 0:10:27.480 --> 0:10:33.880 can be distressing, but we've kind of imposed some silence 0:10:33.920 --> 0:10:38.599 on ourselves. And you know, I think there's obviously societal 0:10:38.679 --> 0:10:42.200 pressures and all sorts of things, and I'm sure someone 0:10:42.200 --> 0:10:47.040 out there is yelling the patriarchy, but it's also something 0:10:47.559 --> 0:10:53.320 we're doing to ourselves by keeping quiet on and there 0:10:53.400 --> 0:10:55.880 has to be a change in that conversation. 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:58.560 And I feel like that change is happening. 0:10:58.800 --> 0:11:01.160 Yeah, I think the ship is turning, but it's going 0:11:01.200 --> 0:11:02.559 to take a while. 0:11:02.640 --> 0:11:03.480 Let's not be the. 0:11:03.400 --> 0:11:07.120 Titanic and hit the eyes. It's funny to say that. 0:11:07.200 --> 0:11:10.120 I was at a lunch recently and I was telling 0:11:10.600 --> 0:11:13.480 a group of women over their fifties about the podcast. 0:11:14.160 --> 0:11:16.760 Of them were really passionate. You know, it was like 0:11:17.840 --> 0:11:20.480 bees to honey. When I heard what I was talking about, 0:11:20.640 --> 0:11:21.720 that's all relief. 0:11:21.840 --> 0:11:22.080 Yeah. 0:11:22.120 --> 0:11:24.160 They all had a story, and I said to a 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:26.319 couple of them, I would love to have you on 0:11:26.559 --> 0:11:29.800 my podcast. One of them said, and quite a well 0:11:29.840 --> 0:11:33.360 known person said, oh no, I couldn't do that. And 0:11:33.440 --> 0:11:37.520 I respected that obviously because it's personal. But why can't 0:11:37.760 --> 0:11:38.920 Did you have a reason? 0:11:39.240 --> 0:11:40.440 Did I think it was. 0:11:40.679 --> 0:11:44.560 She wouldn't be seen as being what she marketed herself 0:11:44.640 --> 0:11:47.800 as abbs. But that's why I want to do it, 0:11:47.880 --> 0:11:52.400 because I really pride myself on being real and being authentic, 0:11:54.360 --> 0:11:56.080 and if I'm going to do it, I need to 0:11:56.120 --> 0:12:00.400 share as well and hopefully by me sharing if. 0:12:00.240 --> 0:12:03.200 It just hits a note, well, I think it's brilliant one. 0:12:03.160 --> 0:12:08.040 Other woman and saying hey, it's okay's absolutely about this. 0:12:08.160 --> 0:12:12.240 Let's open the conversation, sort of create this community of support, 0:12:12.760 --> 0:12:14.280 a network of support. 0:12:14.640 --> 0:12:16.240 Then I will have achieved. 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:16.680 What I said. 0:12:16.679 --> 0:12:21.680 Absolutely, and I think you're gonna genuinely not just help 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:24.320 a lot of women, but a lot of men. You know, 0:12:24.679 --> 0:12:28.640 I think one of the things I've found after this 0:12:30.280 --> 0:12:35.280 is the reaction I had has been genuinely amazing. Yes, 0:12:35.320 --> 0:12:39.679 the support has been amazing, and that's not just from women. 0:12:40.160 --> 0:12:44.720 That's from blokes as well, saying, oh, you know, I 0:12:44.760 --> 0:12:47.280 shared this with my wife to let her know she's 0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:51.760 not alone, or this started a conversation with my teenage 0:12:51.920 --> 0:12:55.439 daughters who didn't even know that perrymanopause was a thing. 0:12:55.559 --> 0:12:57.240 I mean I didn't when I was a teenager. 0:12:57.320 --> 0:12:57.960 You've just given me. 0:12:58.000 --> 0:13:02.240 Goose bumps, because if anything of what happened on the ABC, 0:13:02.520 --> 0:13:04.440 that is the best measure. 0:13:04.760 --> 0:13:06.440 Yeah, absolutely, what you've done. 0:13:06.600 --> 0:13:09.960 I hope you realize the enormity of what you've done 0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:12.440 to the argument. No you have, don't shake your head. 0:13:12.480 --> 0:13:15.360 You really have talking about the younger generation. I have 0:13:15.400 --> 0:13:18.680 a daughter, you have a daughter in your teens. I 0:13:18.720 --> 0:13:21.640 also hope to achieve with this and talking about it 0:13:21.800 --> 0:13:25.520 in making hopefully their path down the track that little 0:13:25.520 --> 0:13:30.120 bit easier. Agreed, it's a huge legacy. I think that 0:13:29.320 --> 0:13:31.560 we can that we can leave. Have you had the 0:13:31.559 --> 0:13:34.480 conversation with your daughter, she's like fifteen sixteen now. 0:13:34.679 --> 0:13:37.360 She does not care. 0:13:39.240 --> 0:13:43.000 About anything other than her friends, than her phone. 0:13:43.040 --> 0:13:44.320 Well, she's a normal teenager. 0:13:44.480 --> 0:13:47.880 She's totally a normal teenager. I mean, I guess, And 0:13:48.280 --> 0:13:50.679 you know, I've had cause to think about it a 0:13:50.720 --> 0:13:56.880 lot since that moment or the ABC, and I don't 0:13:56.920 --> 0:13:59.560 know whether it came from my mum. So I lost 0:13:59.600 --> 0:14:03.600 my mum very early. Sorry no no, it was years ago. 0:14:03.760 --> 0:14:09.559 But she didn't make it to perimenopause or menopause, and 0:14:09.600 --> 0:14:15.959 so when my symptoms started, I was genuinely terrified. Well 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:18.719 I had no idea what was going on. And when 0:14:18.760 --> 0:14:21.600 I first went to the doctor and the doctor said 0:14:21.600 --> 0:14:27.280 the word perry menopause to me, I was like, I'm 0:14:27.400 --> 0:14:29.680 awfully sorry, but I think you. 0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:35.400 Have me confused with someone else. Yes, I'm forty two 0:14:37.080 --> 0:14:40.000 this and what is the pery thing? Because I've heard 0:14:40.000 --> 0:14:40.600 of menopause. 0:14:40.800 --> 0:14:45.000 CAD was the pery thing, and so that's kind of 0:14:45.040 --> 0:14:52.360 when it all started. And from there, I've been very 0:14:52.760 --> 0:14:54.720 upfront about it with my family. 0:14:54.960 --> 0:14:57.880 Like literally coming home and going, have you guys heard 0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:00.160 of peri menopause? I've got that. 0:15:02.200 --> 0:15:06.000 And then, as you know, it's a massive collection of 0:15:06.040 --> 0:15:09.080 symptoms and it varies from. 0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:11.480 Woman to woman. It can be totally different. 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:14.520 Oh crazy, what's the craziest symptom you've got? 0:15:14.600 --> 0:15:15.160 Do you think. 0:15:17.000 --> 0:15:17.840 Sore gums? 0:15:18.480 --> 0:15:19.000 Wow? 0:15:19.360 --> 0:15:24.680 Really well, actually I take that back, because the first 0:15:24.760 --> 0:15:26.840 thing I went to the doctor about I'm going to 0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:29.120 have to try and not to laugh. The first thing 0:15:29.160 --> 0:15:31.320 I went to the doctor about when I was forty 0:15:31.360 --> 0:15:37.040 two was because I've lived my life with dead straight 0:15:37.120 --> 0:15:40.440 hair and at the age of forty two, my hair 0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:45.960 started going curly. That's insane, right, And so I said 0:15:45.960 --> 0:15:49.720 to my hairdresser, what are you doing different? Let's not 0:15:49.840 --> 0:15:53.640 layer so much at this, but I was saying, is 0:15:53.680 --> 0:15:55.880 that do you know why it's going curly? And he 0:15:56.040 --> 0:15:59.160 was like, oh, I might be hormones, and I was like, 0:15:59.480 --> 0:16:03.480 for real, anyway, Obviously talking to pregnant mates. 0:16:03.160 --> 0:16:05.200 About how their hair changed. 0:16:07.760 --> 0:16:12.640 And in puberty, one of my cousins went from having 0:16:12.800 --> 0:16:17.040 straight hair to curly hair in puberty. So I went 0:16:17.080 --> 0:16:20.640 to the doctor going, what is getting curly hair? A 0:16:20.720 --> 0:16:25.600 symptom of wow, So that was my first symptom. It 0:16:25.680 --> 0:16:30.160 was kind of going, this is a weird change. But 0:16:30.280 --> 0:16:32.360 just getting back to your other question and sort of 0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:35.160 being open and how I talked to my teenager about it. 0:16:35.560 --> 0:16:39.360 So I was kind of really open about it with 0:16:39.840 --> 0:16:44.680 my husband and my kids and my extended family. And 0:16:44.720 --> 0:16:50.080 then that in turn has made my fifteen year old 0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:54.800 really quite so much more upfront than I ever was 0:16:54.840 --> 0:17:01.320 about puberty. Like she asks stuff, and you know, so 0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:05.920 now she's getting to know what happens at the other end. 0:17:06.359 --> 0:17:09.320 I mean, it's slightly unfortunate for my husband that he's 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:14.399 got a puberty ridden teenager and a penny perimenopause or 0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:15.119 sweaty woman. 0:17:15.400 --> 0:17:16.280 Yeah, isn't it. 0:17:16.280 --> 0:17:19.480 It's kind of ironic, is like our daughters kind of 0:17:19.520 --> 0:17:23.680 started and I'm sort of finishing, and Chris is kind 0:17:23.720 --> 0:17:27.320 of like caught in the middle of the cyclone. 0:17:27.600 --> 0:17:30.959 It's but I love that you. I think we do 0:17:31.080 --> 0:17:31.840 have a role. 0:17:31.680 --> 0:17:33.880 As women in passing on the bat and I think 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:39.639 anything we can do to discuss and normalize. It is great. 0:17:39.880 --> 0:17:41.280 One of my weird symptoms. 0:17:41.320 --> 0:17:42.680 I was going to ask you yours. 0:17:43.040 --> 0:17:46.120 It's so bizarre. I thought I had like an ear infection. 0:17:46.200 --> 0:17:50.640 I've got dermatitis in my ears, which just inside your ear, 0:17:50.680 --> 0:17:53.080 inside my ears, and it's dry. 0:17:53.280 --> 0:17:56.439 Well it's it's the ear going to so it's like 0:17:56.600 --> 0:17:57.160 not so much. 0:17:57.160 --> 0:17:59.600 A lot of women get itchy's skin of mine seems 0:17:59.640 --> 0:18:03.359 to be around both my ears and it's so odd. 0:18:03.600 --> 0:18:05.360 I went to my GP and he said, I think 0:18:05.400 --> 0:18:06.720 you need gromets. 0:18:07.080 --> 0:18:08.440 I remember grommet and I. 0:18:08.400 --> 0:18:10.160 Said no, sorry, I'm not a toddler. 0:18:11.880 --> 0:18:14.080 And I said no, sorry, I don't think I'll be 0:18:14.080 --> 0:18:14.920 getting romets. 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:16.560 And he so we ears are actually quite bad, and 0:18:16.600 --> 0:18:18.399 I say, yeah, I know. I'm living with it, so 0:18:18.440 --> 0:18:19.840 I'm really trying to persist with it. 0:18:19.960 --> 0:18:22.400 What are you doing for it? Not much? Okay? 0:18:22.520 --> 0:18:25.000 You know what is good is swimming in the sea. 0:18:25.040 --> 0:18:28.000 Oh yeah, seawater. Saltwater fixes everything. 0:18:28.040 --> 0:18:31.600 I I feel that too, and I get like winds 0:18:33.760 --> 0:18:36.439 like that makes a slightly more hag witchy that we 0:18:36.520 --> 0:18:43.240 want to chuck ourselves in the seaweed all over. So yeah, 0:18:43.320 --> 0:18:47.159 there is so many weird ones and like the research 0:18:47.280 --> 0:18:50.560 going on is actually adding to those symptoms of that 0:18:50.720 --> 0:18:54.120 list of symptoms all the time, because they are vast 0:18:54.400 --> 0:18:57.600 and they are varied, and you're not gonna, I don't 0:18:57.640 --> 0:18:58.720 want to terrify anyone. 0:18:58.760 --> 0:19:01.080 You're not going to get all of them, No, hopefully 0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:01.720 not no. 0:19:02.200 --> 0:19:06.439 But you know there are some really unexpected ones with 0:19:06.600 --> 0:19:12.240 skin changes, like you're talking about eyesight changes, hearing changes, yes, 0:19:12.840 --> 0:19:17.600 even taste changes. So there's all sorts of things that 0:19:17.800 --> 0:19:22.639 we're still finding out. I mean, perimenopause and menopause hasn't 0:19:22.760 --> 0:19:26.439 really been something that has had a whole lot of 0:19:26.520 --> 0:19:32.280 investment over the humanity's research history, but it is getting 0:19:32.320 --> 0:19:36.520 more now and as they research it more and more 0:19:36.560 --> 0:19:41.080 and more, they are finding out so many things that 0:19:41.560 --> 0:19:47.879 are associated with perimenopause and menopause that hadn't been linked before. So, 0:19:48.520 --> 0:19:52.320 you know, I think there is a sea change, and 0:19:53.119 --> 0:19:55.639 I do also think I have a theory it's like 0:19:55.680 --> 0:20:00.520 your saltwater theory. I think it's also our age group 0:20:00.600 --> 0:20:06.040 aging up. I think we're sorry boomers, but we're less 0:20:06.080 --> 0:20:12.800 prudish and we're more likely to be open about things. 0:20:12.920 --> 0:20:15.080 And so I think a whole lot of gen X 0:20:15.200 --> 0:20:20.560 women are God, dare I say it? Millennials are now 0:20:20.840 --> 0:20:25.280 hitting you know, perimenopause menopause age, and they're being more 0:20:25.359 --> 0:20:26.119 vocal about it. 0:20:26.320 --> 0:20:27.480 They're not hiding away. 0:20:27.640 --> 0:20:30.160 No, we don't need to that's for sure. Oh that's 0:20:30.160 --> 0:20:32.480 what I was going to ask you. Are you taking 0:20:32.600 --> 0:20:36.159 anything for your minopause? Like how if you are? At 0:20:36.200 --> 0:20:38.880 what point did you say no, I need something. 0:20:39.040 --> 0:20:44.440 I am taking HRT now and I have been on 0:20:44.480 --> 0:20:51.120 it for gosh. It started in one of the many lockdowns, 0:20:52.480 --> 0:20:57.520 was where it just got too much for me, and 0:20:58.080 --> 0:21:02.159 so I went a lot and had a consultation. And 0:21:02.280 --> 0:21:08.800 my big worry about HRT was the link reported link 0:21:08.880 --> 0:21:13.400 to breast cancer. Now, that link comes from a two 0:21:13.480 --> 0:21:17.760 thousand and two study, So think about how old that 0:21:17.920 --> 0:21:20.600 is for a second. It's it's it's real old. It's now, 0:21:21.640 --> 0:21:27.760 and that link was originally. I don't want to defame anyone, 0:21:27.920 --> 0:21:32.879 but following research has found that that link was overstated. 0:21:33.840 --> 0:21:39.520 So yes, HRT does come with this minimal risk of 0:21:40.240 --> 0:21:43.800 increased risk of breast cancer, but not the original risk 0:21:43.880 --> 0:21:46.280 they said. So A, I think a lot of women 0:21:46.320 --> 0:21:52.359 are scared of HRT because it's got this reputation that 0:21:52.680 --> 0:21:57.320 isn't deserved, and HRT has come on a really long 0:21:57.440 --> 0:22:00.240 way since two thousand and too. 0:22:01.200 --> 0:22:02.960 So I went. 0:22:02.840 --> 0:22:07.480 And had this consultation, and you know, it is worth 0:22:07.520 --> 0:22:10.679 saying not all women can take our HRT. 0:22:10.920 --> 0:22:14.440 They're not able to. Yeah, exactly, it's individual. 0:22:15.240 --> 0:22:20.920 So it's trial and error. You work out what dosage works, 0:22:21.200 --> 0:22:26.720 anything like anything exactly. And then so I was good 0:22:26.840 --> 0:22:31.159 for about eighteen months or so when I found my 0:22:31.960 --> 0:22:37.840 perfect equilibrium of estrogen patches and a marina which also 0:22:38.000 --> 0:22:39.200 releases progesterone. 0:22:39.280 --> 0:22:44.479 Yes, and then supply chain shortages hit this. 0:22:44.720 --> 0:22:50.919 Yes. So there is a massive supply chain issue with HRT, 0:22:51.280 --> 0:22:58.400 particularly the patches. So what has happened is there's manufacturing issues. 0:22:59.200 --> 0:23:01.920 There's I don't want to call them ingredients, what would 0:23:01.960 --> 0:23:05.760 you call it? Whatever they are ingredients, what goes into it? Yeah, 0:23:05.800 --> 0:23:08.399 stuff that goes into so shortage is there. But then 0:23:08.440 --> 0:23:12.760 there's also supply chain issues so getting things from day Yeah, 0:23:13.160 --> 0:23:16.760 So I went the day I found out, I went 0:23:16.840 --> 0:23:20.399 to eight pharmacists going do you have HIT, do you 0:23:20.440 --> 0:23:24.879 have AHLT? None of them had my milligram, and so 0:23:24.920 --> 0:23:27.360 I called my lovely GP and I was like, well 0:23:27.359 --> 0:23:30.680 what do I do? And he said, look, you can 0:23:31.160 --> 0:23:34.919 go on to the estrogen gel, but it's not like 0:23:35.000 --> 0:23:36.800 for like you're going to have to go back through 0:23:36.840 --> 0:23:40.040 the trial and error. So I'd been doing that for 0:23:40.119 --> 0:23:44.880 probably six weeks before that moment on the ABC, and 0:23:44.960 --> 0:23:48.880 I had not got it right. So I was getting 0:23:49.040 --> 0:23:52.639 stuff again. I was getting more brain fog. I was 0:23:52.680 --> 0:23:54.840 getting the hot night sweats. 0:23:55.080 --> 0:23:59.639 Yeah, insomnia, insomnia. I wake up in the morning if 0:23:59.640 --> 0:24:02.520 I've had a bad night. It's not every night, but 0:24:02.640 --> 0:24:06.160 I obviously get up early for the show three o'clock. 0:24:07.400 --> 0:24:10.520 And when you haven't slept, and it's just an exhaustion 0:24:11.359 --> 0:24:14.199 all day. And it's not like you can say to 0:24:14.240 --> 0:24:16.920 your family, I'm just going to clock out. Of course 0:24:16.960 --> 0:24:20.160 you can, but you there's stuff that needs to be done. 0:24:20.240 --> 0:24:25.160 When your mum and employee, and you know you've got 0:24:25.200 --> 0:24:28.280 elderly parents who are rowing on you as well. It's 0:24:28.280 --> 0:24:30.560 not like you can just tap out all the time. 0:24:30.840 --> 0:24:34.480 I know, sadly, it's just debilitating some day. 0:24:34.520 --> 0:24:36.680 There's no nap pod for you. No, there's not a 0:24:36.960 --> 0:24:39.960