Carol Vorderman calls for action to help women with menopausal depression and reveals own symptoms

By William On Oct 18, 2022

She has previously opened up about suffering from depression due to menopause.

And Carol Vorderman took to her Instagram stories on Tuesday to reveal she was going to the Houses of Parliament and a rally to call for more action for other women.

The 61-year-old looked stunning in a form-fitting red dress, with a silver belt to tie her at the waist, and opened up about her own experiences.

Rally: Carol Vorderman took to her Instagram stories on Tuesday to reveal she was going to the Houses of Parliament and a rally to call for more action for other women going through menopause

She said: ‘It’s World Menopause Day and I’m from the Houses of Parliament and at a meeting later to call for more action from the government and the NHS on women going through menopause.

She continued: ‘Because it doesn’t just affect women, but all their families. It could be your wife, your sister, someone you work with, and the symptoms are the same, but different.

When she was candid, Carol explained, “Mine were not physical, but psychological. And to the point that for months I didn’t know how to get out of the darkness.

“Anyway, 48 hours after I got the right hormones, I was fine. Back to the annoyingly happy person I always am. And I never had those thoughts again.’

Fabulous: She looked fabulous in a form-fitting red dress, with a silver belt to tie her at the waist, and the 61-year-old opened up about her own experiences

In July, Carol recalled falling into “deep depression” when menopause hit in her early 50s, using her experience to encourage women to speak out.

Fronting the This Morning Menopause Bus, Carol traveled all the way from Liverpool to Cardiff – aiming to spread awareness and information about the aging process.

While talking to Dr. Philippa Kaye, Carol took the opportunity to share her own traumatic experience: “I’m almost 62, I’ve been through all of this. I’ve been through the years where we were shamed into thinking we were crazy because we had menopause symptoms.’

“Well, I started in my early 50s, I didn’t have night sweats or flushes or anything like that. I started to feel anxious, I have never felt anxious in my life. I started worrying about which pants I’d wear, whether I’d be drinking tea or coffee, you know, anything.’

Open: She has previously opened up about suffering depression due to menopause, appearing on Lorraine in 2017 to discuss her experience (pictured)

Helping others: Carol went all the way from Liverpool to Cardiff on Wednesday’s episode on Wednesday’s This Morning Menopause Bus – aiming to spread awareness and information about the aging process

1666101746 325 Carol Vorderman calls for action to help women with menopausal

Embarrassed: During a conversation with Dr. Philippa Kaye, Carol took the opportunity to talk about her own traumatic experience: “I’m almost 62, I’ve been through all this. I’ve lived through the years where we were shamed into thinking we were crazy because we had menopausal symptoms.”

WHAT IS THE MENOPAUSE?

Menopause occurs when a woman stops menstruating and can no longer conceive naturally.

It is a natural part of aging, occurring in women between the ages of 45 and 55.

However, 1 in 100 women may experience menopause before the age of 40, which is known as peri-menopause, premature menopause, or premature ovarian failure.

Symptoms often include hot flashes, night sweats, low mood, decreased sex drive, vaginal dryness, increased facial hair and trouble sleeping.

According to the advice of the NHS, symptoms can start months or even years before your period stops and last for about four years after your last period.

Premature or early menopause can occur at any age and in many cases there is no obvious cause.

Source: NHS

She continued: ‘That developed into a deep depression, I felt suicidal at times. What saved me was that I used an electronic calendar to track when my period arrived and that helped.

“I started on a tailor-made HRT and within 48 hours I felt normal again and since then I’ve never had any more symptoms, it’s great.”

Carol encouraged women to come that they are not alone and ended the segment by explaining, “We are all going through it, there is nothing to be ashamed of.

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

Stars such as Holly Willoughby and Lisa Snowdon have taken part in the Menopause Bus campaign – aiming to break the stigma surrounding the hormonal change.

Carol has been open about her menopause struggle in the past, appearing in Lorraine in 2017 to explain that she “didn’t see the point of life at the time.”

“I thought I would do everything I could to make this feeling stop, but I just can’t make it happen,” she admitted. ‘I did all the recommended things, eat healthy, exercise, but I was still that low.

“I realized that for the two weeks of every month I was in the blackest of the black and then – I wasn’t happy – but not so bad and I thought, does this have something to do with the [menstrual] cycling?” she explained.

Dark time: ‘I felt suicidal at times,’ explained Carol as she encouraged women to get support

Speaking candidly about the experience, Carol admitted that the only reason she “didn’t do something” was due to her children, Cameron and Katie.

While the former Countdown host admitted to the Daily Mail in 2016: “I think it’s really one of those taboos, not a lot of people talk about it and when they do they talk about it medically rather than the mental health side of it. ‘

For help and support with menopause and symptoms, visit: https://www.themenopausecharity.org/.

Family: She spoke candidly about the experience, admitting that the only reason she ‘didn’t do something’ was due to her children, Cameron and Katie