TV review: The Change — Ireland’s Menopause Story is public broadcasting at its best

The RTÉ One show on menopause was engaging and informative about a topic that's at last being discussed in public

Mon, 23 May, 2022 - 22:30

Marjorie Brennan

For generations of Irish women, menstruation was a taboo subject and they suffered its slings and arrows in silence. That is changing at long last, as was clearly illustrated in that memorable week in May 2021, when women around the country took to the airwaves on RTÉ Radio 1's Liveline show to describe in vivid detail the detrimental impact menopause had on their lives.

The unprecedented Liveline outpouring is taken as the jumping-off point for the RTÉ documentary The Change – Ireland’s Menopause Story. The title in itself is a reminder of how far we have already come — a nod to the now thankfully outdated term for menopause, in this case more of a reference to the growing movement for enlightenment on the topic.

Last year’s groundbreaking Channel 4 documentary on menopause was ably fronted by Davina McCall, but this programme eschews a presenter, which is perhaps to its benefit, allowing it to cover an impressive amount of ground in one hour.

The Change – Ireland’s Menopause Story: Caoimhe Hartley.

The documentary may not have a celebrity front-woman but the star of the show is Dr Deirdre Lundy, a brilliant communicator and a beacon of sense and wisdom. The other contributions from medical experts are clear, concise and on-point, detailing the havoc that declining oestrogen can cause to the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of women.

Even more powerful are the testimonies of women themselves, which will chime with all of those struggling with the effects of menopause. The documentary captures the loneliness felt by women, but also the joy and relief when they discover the support of others in the same boat and begin to break down the long-ingrained stigma.

In this regard, it is heartening to watch menopause coach Catherine O’Keeffe giving a talk to male and female members of An Garda Síochána in which she describes a traumatic menstrual flooding experience.

The documentary is also a potent reminder of how silence can kill. Psychiatrist Dr Veronica O’Keane highlights the dearth of research into mental health and menopause, putting it in stark terms — 52 is the mean age for suicide in women.

While strides are being made, with many GPs sharing knowledge on the topic and the establishment of dedicated menopause clinics, much work remains to be done, including, as Lundy points out, working on ways to help breast cancer survivors for whom HRT may not be suitable.

This is public service broadcasting at its best — engaging, informative and educational. The final word goes to contributor Róisín who says: “I have two sons, and there is nothing they don’t know about menopause, God love them”. Alleluia — with mothers like that, the future looks a lot brighter.