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First lady speaks candidly about her own menopause

Acknowledging that she herself is going through menopause, Tai-wan's first lady yesterday urged menopausal women to take time out to do the things they enjoy in order to minimize any discomfort they might experience.

Speaking at an event held to promote the healthcare of menopausal women, first lady Wu Shu-chen (吳淑珍) spoke about her own experiences and called on the public to be more understanding of women who are undergoing what is considered a major life transition.

Both Wu and Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) spoke at the event, called Caring for Menopausal Women, at the Taipei City Council yesterday. Hundreds of menopausal women attended.

The audience responded warmly to a joke made by Ma about a difficult adolescent daughter who tells her mother, as an excuse for her petulance, "I'm going through a rebellious stage," only for her mother to retort, "And I'm going through menopause."

Moments later, Wu took to the stage and announced, "And I'm going through menopause too," to much applause.

It was the first in an annual series of activities on menopausal health to be held nationwide, organized by the Taiwanese Menopausal Society (台灣更年期醫學會, TMS), the Taipei City and Kaohsiung City Governments' Bureaus of Health, the Bureau of National Health Insurance and drug company Wyeth-Ayerst Ltd Taiwan Branch (美國惠氏藥廠).

Wyeth-Ayerst contributed to the funding of the event and supplied some of its nutritional products for free distribution.

Wu said that she could "totally identify" with the anxiety and discomfort experienced by some menopausal women, including hot flashes, night sweats and sleeplessness.

"With my daughter married, my son doing military service and the president's busy schedule, I feel even more depressed without the companionship of my family," Wu said.

While calling for public understanding and the support of families, Wu also urged menopausal women to do things to lighten their spirits. "I, for example, enjoy watching TV shows on world cuisine or beautiful places. I feel a lot better after doing so, "she said.

According to the TMS, there are more than two million menopausal women in Taiwan, some 70 percent to 80 percent of whom are suffering some menopause-related discomfort.

"Since every woman experiences the transition in unique and individual ways, we suggest they consult doctors and receive regular checkups in order to get suitable treatments to lessen their discomfort," Tsai Einy-mei (蔡英美), obstetrician and president of the TMS, told the Taipei Times.

Tsai said that while hormone replacement therapy can sometimes be an effective way to reduce symptoms, women should also regularly do weight-lifting exercises to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

During the event, free health checkups, including bone density tests, breast cancer screening tests and body fat measuring were available. Free VCDs that demonstrate exercises to reduce discomfort were also distributed.
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