Jackie Bird on how the menopause left her lacking confidence
- Published
BBC Scotland journalist Jackie Bird presents Reporting Scotland
BBC news presenter Jackie Bird says the menopause left her lacking confidence and changed her life "in ways you can never imagine".
She made the comment while speaking to BBC Radio Scotland's Mornings: With Stephen Jardine programme .
The 56-year-old believes there are not enough conversations about the issue.
Ms Bird also thinks there needs to be more programmes on the subject, and claims she was met with "sniggers" from BBC bosses when she suggested a series.
The presenter of Reporting Scotland joined the radio phone-in to help mark World Menopause Day.
When does the menopause start?
The menopause is when a woman stops having periods and is no longer able to get pregnant naturally, and the average age it starts in the UK is 51.
Most women will experience menopausal symptoms, and some can have a significant impact on everyday life.
Ms Bird, who presents BBC Scotland's daily TV news programme Reporting Scotland, told the radio show: "It [the menopause] changes your life in ways you can never imagine."
She went on: "You're not warned about it, which is another worrying aspect of this. You're not warned that slowly and insidiously you can lose all of your confidence. You don't feel like you. Your head is in a fog.
"Those are the psychological aspects of it, but another side is then you have the hot flushes. You have the embarrassment of that and a whole lot of other symptoms.
"Everyone should stand up and talk about it."
Ms Bird also spoke about approaching BBC Radio Scotland bosses five years ago - when she realised the gravity of the changes she was facing - with an idea for a series on the menopause.
She said she was met with "sniggers" from the senior men she talked to, and never heard back from them.
"Maybe this is indicative of a problem. How many series about pregnancy do you hear? Lots and lots. How many series about menopause - and therefore pointing the way to help for women - do you hear? It's just not there."
A BBC Scotland spokesman said the broadcaster does not comment on the "many discussions that take place over the years about programme ideas".
However, he added: "Our policy is that every proposal should be considered carefully with appropriate feedback given. This is a subject which is covered in our output and last year, for example, BBC Scotland commissioned a television documentary on the menopause, presented by Kirsty Wark, which was shown in Scotland and across the rest of UK.'
Jackie Bird presents BBC Children In Need Scotland
Ruth Devlin from Let's Talk Menopause, external told Stephen Jardine that menopause is "just another natural transition in a woman's life," and that there is no reason why workplaces should not make changes to accommodate workers who are undergoing the change.
Ms Bird also spoke about the lack of help for women who are facing the hardships that the menopause can bring, saying she recently sought advice after struggling to remember words.
She said the first menopause-specific appointment she could secure was March 2019, which she said was too long to wait.
In February last year, BBC news presenter Kirsty Wark fronted a documentary called The Insiders' Guide to the Menopause.
The broadcaster began her menopause at the age of 47 after having a hysterectomy. She believes women are still "shockingly ill-informed" about what it actually is and how to deal with it.
On her programme, Ms Wark said: "Every woman goes through the menopause but there is something about the word itself which has these negative connotations of ageing and atrophy."