logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2021
26m 58s

Living through menopause

Bbc World Service
About this episode

For a long time there was a wall of silence around the menopause, but more women are choosing to speak candidly about their complicated and illuminating experiences. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women on a mission to demystify the menopause. Dr Nighat Arif is a British Pakistani family doctor specialising in women’s health. She is passionate about making the menopause a less taboo subject for all, but particularly for women for whom English is not their first language, and she often uses her social media channels to raise awareness. Barbara Hannah Grufferman is an American writer whose work focuses on healthy aging. After struggling with her symptoms during menopause she decided to become a marathon runner. Her most recent book is Love Your Age and her newsletter is Menopause Cheat Sheet.

Produced by Alice Gioia

IMAGE: (L) Dr Nighat Arif (credit: courtesy of Dr Nighat Arif) (R) Barbara Hannah Grufferman (credit: Howard Grufferman)

Up next
Nov 24
Weavers reviving an ancient technology
<p>Across continents and generations, the art of weaving has connected humans for thousands of years. But it’s dying out. Ella Al-Shamahi speaks to two women from The Netherlands and Turkey about their passion for preserving the traditional craft.</p><p>Turkish social entrepreneu ... Show More
26m 28s
Nov 19
Women at the forefront of medical research
<p>After the discovery of a new gene therapy for Huntington's, a devastating brain disease, Datshiane Navanayagam talks to one of the women in the UK who worked on it and a biologist from India who's made recent discoveries that could improve treatment for TB, which still kills o ... Show More
26m 29s
Nov 10
Behind the smiles of artistic swimming
Artistic swimmers are known for making perfect synchronicity look effortless. Datshiane Navanaygam talks to athletes from Spain and Slovakia to reveal why the sport is far tougher than it appears. Silvia Solymosyová from Slovakia was the first artistic swimmer to reach 1 million ... Show More
26m 29s
Recommended Episodes
May 2023
Everything You Need To Know About Menopause with Professor Annice Mukherjee #360
Right now, there are more than 13 million peri- or post-menopausal women in the UK. That’s around 25% of the population, you may be in that category or you will be interacting with women in that category. That’s why it’s imperative that all of us have a deeper understanding of wh ... Show More
1h 57m
Mar 2022
S1 Ep1: Is it Menopause? Or Some Other Pause?
Unlike puberty, when your mother sat you down and explained what to expect with your first period, it is the rare mother who tells her daughter what to expect from her first hot flash, what to do about it, or even what menopause is. In fairness to moms everywhere, no one explaine ... Show More
20m 27s
May 2021
Menopause: Misunderstood, Mysterious & Magnificent
We've come a long way when it comes to discussing topics in public that used to be considered taboo or referred to as 'women's business', but one issue that is still shunned by society is menopause. Given the obsession with looking and feeling young, it can be difficult for anyon ... Show More
20m 55s
Aug 2022
The Menopause Manifesto | Jen Gunter
<p>There are only two mammals who have evolved to survive after their childbearing years: toothed whales and humans. This stage of life is called menopause, and it makes humans an evolutionary wonder! Dr. Jen Gunter, host of the podcast Body Stuff, talks to Elise about her book " ... Show More
37 m
Apr 2022
90. Menopause: What We Deserve to Know with Dr. Jen Gunter
1. Hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, vaginal dryness, and the less common, frequently-missed symptoms of menopause.  2. A strategy and script for how to talk to your doctor without being dismissed. 3. The lies and truth about menopause hormone therapy. 4. Why our cul ... Show More
1h 3m
Mar 2024
The Evidence: The science of the menopause
Millions of women around the world experience the menopause each year; it’s an important milestone, which marks the end of their reproductive years.But every individual's experience of it is personal and unique. In some cultures, there's a stigma about this life stage – it's view ... Show More
49m 26s
Jun 2021
Menopause - the last workplace taboo?
Women across the globe are leaving their jobs and sometimes careers because they are unsupported at work when they go through the menopause. But could mandated menopause leave re-dress the balance?Ivana Davidovic speaks with Lauren Chiren, who abandoned her high-flying career in ... Show More
18 m
Apr 2024
S3 Ep122: Navigating Menopause: Celebrity Style- Here We Go Again!
In 2009 I was invited to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show as a menopause expert to counter the other menopause “expert”, actress turned author Suzanne Somers.   “Dr” Somers is not the only celebrity to help women navigate menopause.  Today, Gwyneth Paltrow, Selma Hayek, Naomi Wat ... Show More
27m 43s
Feb 2022
#135 Food for the Menopause with Dr Louise Newson
What we’re talking about today will impact 50% of the population, 100% of the timeYet we don’t prepare for it. There are no specific clinics within the NHS solely dedicated to the treatment of this expected condition. There is incomplete and misleading information and relatively ... Show More
1h 19m
Jul 2023
Menopause Is Having a Moment
<p>Some of the worst symptoms of menopause — including hot flashes, sleeplessness and pain during sex — have an established treatment. Why aren’t more women offered it?</p><p>Susan Dominus, a writer for The New York Times Magazine, explains how menopause has been misunderstood bo ... Show More
32m 8s