Carol Vorderman, 62, recalls feeling suicidal amid struggle with ‘severe depression’ during the menopause

Carol Vorderman has spoken about her struggle with ‘severe depression’ during menopause.

In a new interview, the Countdown icon, 62, recalled feeling suicidal during the time in her life when she stopped having periods – a natural part of aging for women.

Carol admitted that her thoughts were “really black” for a few weeks a month in 2015, despite there being “nothing wrong” in her life.

She confessed to wondering, β€œwhat’s the point?’ and thought, ‘there’s clearly one way to stop this’, as he describes how devastating depression during menopause can be.

The presenter stated that it can be truly ‘horrifying’ for women to deal with, and expressed her happiness that society’s ‘old-fashioned attitude’ to menopause is changing.

Candid: Carol Vorderman, 62, recalled feeling suicidal as she discussed her struggle with ‘severe depression’ during menopause

Real talk: In a new interview, the Countdown icon admitted that her thoughts were 'really black' for a few weeks a month in 2015

Real talk: In a new interview, the Countdown icon admitted that her thoughts were ‘really black’ for a few weeks a month in 2015

Open: She confessed to asking herself, β€œwhat's the point?”  and thought 'there's clearly one way to stop this' as he describes how devastating menopausal depression can be

Open: She confessed to asking herself, β€œwhat’s the point?” and thought ‘there’s clearly one way to stop this’ as he describes how devastating menopausal depression can be

Speaking about the Postcards from Midlife podcast, Carol said: ‘When I was going through it, I had severe depression for about six months. I think it was 2015.

‘There was nothing wrong in my life, I had made a lot of money, my children were fine, my mother was fine. There was no problem.

“And yet I woke up in this huge bed in this huge house, I’ve got an outside pool and everything, and I just thought, ‘What’s the point?’

“I understand clinical depression a lot more now, where you go, ‘I can’t go through this again, how can I stop this,’ and those thoughts of ‘well, there’s clearly one way to stop this’.”

WHAT IS THE MENOPAUSE?

Menopause is when a woman stops having periods and can no longer become pregnant naturally.

This usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55.

It is a normal part of aging and is caused by a decrease in levels of the sex hormone estrogen.

Some women go through this period with few or no symptoms.

Others experience hot flashes, sleep problems, mood swings and brain fog, which can last for months or years and change over time.

HRT replaces hormones and is the main treatment used to treat symptoms – which can be serious and disruptive to daily life.

Menopause happens when your ovaries stop producing as much of the hormone estrogen and no longer release an egg every month.

‘Even when I presented Loose Women ten years ago, it was only acceptable to say ‘ooh, I’ve got a moment’ and make light of yourself when you’re going through this.

‘It’s not always horrible for people, but you can have horrible days.

“Now, thank God, women are saying, ‘No, things like that, this is what’s happening, I need help in the workplace, I need to be able to hear it from people who are doing this.’

“Because it was a patriarchy – you know, ‘women just go crazy and say crazy things.’

“We’re riding a horse and cart through that outdated societal attitude toward menopausal women.”

Last year, Carol spoke about her depressive episode for the first time, admitting: ‘I went through years of being ashamed and thinking we were crazy for having menopausal symptoms.’

β€œWell, I started in my early fifties, I didn’t have any night sweats or hot flashes or anything. I started feeling anxious, I have never felt anxious in my life.

‘I started worrying about what trousers to wear, whether to drink tea or coffee, all kinds of things.

‘That developed into a deep depression, I sometimes felt suicidal. What saved me was keeping track of when my period arrived using an electronic calendar and that helped.

‘I started a tailor-made HRT and within 48 hours I was feeling normal again and I haven’t had any complaints since, it’s great.’

Carol encouraged women to let them know they are not alone, stressing: ‘We are all going through it, there is nothing to be ashamed of.

“There’s nothing that makes you feel like you’re going crazy, you’re not going crazy, it’s just a hormone change.”