Going through the menopause - 6 Minute English

Hello. This is 6 Minute English

from BBC Learning English.

I'm Sam.

And I'm Georgina.

Something that affects almost every

woman at some point in her life is

the menopause. The menopause is

a natural part of ageing that happens

as a woman's hormones decline and

she stops having monthly periods

and being able to get

pregnant naturally.

With the menopause comes physical

signs. These vary from person to

person and often include hot flushes,

mood swings and night sweats.

But besides these there may be

other changes too and living

through it can be isolating,

both personally and

professionally.

In many societies the menopause

is still taboo - not talked about

in public for social or religious

reasons, or because people

are uncomfortable discussing it.

But recently high-profile women

like former First Lady, Michelle

Obama, have started speaking up.

In this programme, we'll be

hearing from two other women

trying to make the menopause

more visible in society -

and, of course, we'll be

learning some related vocabulary

as well. But first let me ask

you my quiz question, Georgina.

As we mentioned, the menopause

is part of the natural ageing

process and usually occurs

between the ages of 45 and 55.

But what is the average age

for a woman to reach the

menopause in Britain?

Is it: a) 49?, b) 51?

or c) 53?

I'll jump in the middle

and say 51 years old.

OK, Georgina, we'll find out

the answer later in the programme.

Since the menopause is a normal

and natural part of life it's

surprising how little it's talked

about. Dr Nighat Arif is a

British Pakistani family doctor

specialising in women's

health. According to her,

the silence around the

subject is because menopause

is about getting old,

something no one wants

to be reminded of.

Here is Dr Arif explaining

more to BBC World Service

programme, The Conversation:

Historically, particularly when

it comes to women, the older you

are you're surplus to excess

now, that's it, you've done

your dues, you've had your

children, your use isn't

needed anymore in society - but

actually women are not like

that at all, women are far

more becoming productive in

the career and workspace and

they are the caregivers,

sometimes they are actually

the financial providers

in their home setting as well.

In many cultures, the traditional

role of women is to have

children. Dr Arif says that

after doing this, women may

be considered to have

done - or paid - their dues - an

expression meaning to do

everything you are expected

to do, or to have done your duty.

After raising children, women

are sometimes thought to be

surplus to excess, something

which is more than needed, or

in other words, surplus to

requirements - a phrase

meaning 'no longer required'.

Of course, this isn't true

for all women everywhere,

but it is surprising how

unequal men and women's

experience of getting older

can be. Barbara Hannah

Grufferman, is an American

writer who publishes a regular

newsletter, 'The Menopause

Cheat Sheet', which focuses

on healthy ageing.

Here she is speaking with BBC

World Service Programme,

The Conversation:

One of the biggest

complications, I think, is ageism.

So, if women are entering that

age range, 45 and over,

they're already possibly

feeling the effects of ageism,

you know, pointing in their

direction. And then when

they add on this layer of

having these physical symptoms

that can impact how they're

functioning at work and even

at home - it's a double whammy.

For Barbara Hannah Grufferman,

one of the biggest barriers

women face is ageism - the

unfair treatment of older

people because of their age.

Just as racism and sexism

discriminate against people

because of their race or

gender, ageism values older

people less than the young.

As we mentioned before, the

menopause brings physical

signs such as hot flushes

or night sweats. These

signs are known as symptoms -

things wrong with your body

or mind that are signs of

some illness or bodily process.

So menopausal women suffer

physical symptoms, as well

as possibly dealing with

discrimination based on

their age. Barbara Hannah

Grufferman calls this a double

whammy - an informal way

to describe a situation where

two unpleasant things happen

at the same time.

The menopause can be a

difficult time in a woman's life.

But with age comes wisdom and

experience and in more and

more societies around the

world the menopause is

being talked about more openly.

Speaking of which, what

was the answer to

your question, Sam?

In my quiz question I

asked about the average

age for British women

to reach menopause.

I said it was c) 51.

Which was... the correct

answer! Although for some

women menopause can start

as early as in their 40s.

OK, let's recap the

vocabulary from this programme

starting with taboo - something

which is forbidden for social

or religious reasons.

To pay your dues means

to do your duty.

Surplus to requirements

means to be no longer needed.

Ageism is the unfair treatment

of older people because

of their age.

Symptom is a sign of illness.

And finally, a double whammy

is a situation where two

unpleasant things happen at once.

That's all from us, but we

hope to see you again soon.

Bye for now!

Goodbye!