Perimenopause at 38? I feel robbed, said Emma Barnett

Broadcaster Emma Barnett says she found out she was going through perimenopause at 38 feeling “gupged,.

Barnett, now 40, said it was “the first time in my life I didn’t want to be a girl – it was the first time I was a bloke”.

He talks on his new BBC podcast, Willing to talk to Emma Barnettthe first episode of which was released on Friday.

Perimenopauseuseusewhich usually occurs at age 46, is when you have menopausal symptoms but your periods haven’t stopped. These symptoms can include anxiety, mood swings, brain fog, hot flushes and irregular periods.

In the episode, Barnett says perimenopause has made her feel disconnected from her identity — and she’s still waiting to “get back” to who she was before.

Speaking to friend and guest Kate Thornton, he continued: “I felt like there was a robbery. I felt like there was no emergency number to call.

“‘I want to report a crime. Yes, someone stole from me.’ No one will report it either. “

Thornton, also a journalist and broadcaster, talks about her own experience of perimenopause, saying the “worst” thing she experienced was going from being somebody “who can multitask… being very capable” to somebody who felt “entirely incapable”.

Barnett previously spoke about his health. In 2019, she wrote the book period: it’s about bloody time, making fun of her endometriosis experience.

During the episode of the podcast, he said that it was “pretty nerve-wracking” to share some parts of his life – but he wants to create this space for other people who are willing to talk about things”.

Barnett, who hosted Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour until last year, says she ultimately wanted to make the podcast so she could not only tell the stories of others, but give listeners her perspective and experience.

“I’m usually the interviewer, I’m usually the host,” Barnett told Thornton.

“It’s not easy to share and I know that, and I think that’s why it’s important that someone who interviews, if it’s not my job, but if it’s not my job, but if it’s not my job, but if it’s not my task, because it’s not my task to others, if it’s not what I do – but especially when I ask others to do others, share themselves.”

Rounding out the episode, Barnett can be heard saying that she hopes “the normalization – that we need to happen to women happening to women happening

“And it doesn’t mean what’s going to happen is less extraordinary or outrageous, but how we meet it will change,” he added.

An increasing number of women are taken Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to relieve menopausal symptoms.

HRT primarily and stabilizes estrogen levels, sometimes in combination with a synthetic version or bioidical version of progesterone.

But it is not suitable for people who have a history of certain cancers, blood clots and blood pressure.

Women can also improve how they feel by:

• Eat a balanced diet, low in fat and high in calcium to strengthen bones and protect the heart
• exercise regularly, to reduce anxiety, stress and guard against heart disease
• Quit Smoking, to prevent heart disease and hot flushes
• Avoid Alcohol, to reduce hot flushes

There’s also research that suggests eating plant oestrogens — found in Soey and Red Clover — can help with symptoms.

Talking therapy known as CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) can be offered to women over 40, along with HRT – or, if the individual circumstances of the patient call for it, in its place.

Willing to talk to Emma Barnett Voice of the BBC On 7 November, and will be released in weekly episodes.