Catalyst: The Truth About Menopause with Myf Warhurst

In a Catalyst episode on Tuesday Myf Warhurst asks, ‘What is menopause, what are the symptoms, what can she do about it -and is hormone therapy safe?’

Myf Warhurst is on the cusp of a big change: the change and she wants to know what’s in store.

Approximately half of the population will go through menopause… and if you’re the partner or child; colleague or friend of a middle-aged woman, chances are you’re going to be impacted by it.

So why is one of the biggest health events in a woman’s life still not talked about or understood?

In this Catalyst episode Myf asks the questions we all need to know the answers to: What is menopause, what are the symptoms and what can she do about it?

Guided by Ali and Cameron Daddo, Myf learns there is a broad range of menopausal experience for women, and their partners.

Wondering if the sleeplessness and anxiety she’s felt recently is down to getting older – or something more – Myf meets with a specialist GP who confirms her suspicions, she’s perimenopausal and on track for some major hormonal upheaval.

Wanting to know what’s going on inside her body and what to expect, Myf meets with experts for a Hormones 101 lesson and to discover the impact of menopause on her body and brain. There’s a growing, lucrative market for menopausal treatments for women like Myf, including natural, herbal treatments. Myf discovers the truth behind the marketing and considers her other options – the much-maligned hormone replacement therapy. A 2002 study infamously alarmed women, connecting HRT and breast cancer but what is the risk today – and can the benefits outweigh it?

Finally, Myf meets with her good friend, Rhonda Burchmore, who is post-menopause, to give her a peak at life on the other side.

9pm Tuesday on ABC.