Miss Wark, 63, who has made a BBC documentary on the subject, told Good Housekeeping magazine: ‘It can be easy, it can be hard, it can be hellish’
Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark has said too many menopausal women are being ‘fobbed off’ with antidepressants by GPs.
The broadcaster described the menopause as ‘hellish’ and urged more women to talk about their experiences.
Miss Wark, 63, who has made a BBC documentary on the subject, told Good Housekeeping magazine: ‘It can be easy, it can be hard, it can be hellish.
‘I had an abrupt one, but what I found so distressing was how many women are fobbed off by their GPs with anti-depressants or [told] “you’ll get through it”, when there is all manner of help.
‘Also, women weren’t talking to each other about it, or to their mothers or daughters.’
Miss Wark previously revealed she had suffered a ‘hard menopause’ after abandoning hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
The broadcaster described the menopause as ‘hellish’ and urged more women to talk about their experiences
Miss Wark previously revealed she had suffered a ‘hard menopause’ after abandoning hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
She started the treatment after having a hysterectomy at the age of 47. The removal of her ovaries had left her body unable to produce the female sex hormone oestrogen, inducing menopause.
But she stopped HRT after a 2002 study noted an increased risk of breast cancer – enduring sleepless nights and severe sweats, and being left feeling ‘literally wrung out’.
In the latest issue of the magazine, Miss Wark also reveals her ambition to present BBC1’s Question Time after David Dimbleby, 79, steps down as host, saying: ‘I’m sure lots of people will throw their hats in the ring.’
- The full interview appears in the July issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale May 30.