Davina McCall has revealed she feared that she had Alzheimer’s, when she was suffering with her memory.
The Masked Singer judge was shocked – not to mention relieved – to discover she was actually entering menopause.
What did Davina say about her memory?
Speaking on Gabby Logan’s Mid.Point podcast, Davina revealed her memory loss fears.
She revealed that she is “always paranoid” about the symptoms of Alzheimer’s because her father Andrew suffers from it.
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Davina revealed: “When I went to my doctor and I said: ‘Look, please help me, I think I’ve got Alzheimer’s,’ because obviously my dad’s got Alzheimer’s.
“And I was like: ‘I’m always paranoid – I know I haven’t really got it but am I okay?’ to her.
“She said: ‘It’s called cognitive overload.’ And at our stage in life often our kids are all older. We thought it was going to get easier. It does not,” Davina revealed.
Cognitive overload occurs when the demands placed on your brain by too many tasks are too great for everything to be processed.
Backing up the diagnosis, Davina went on to admit life is “very busy and chaotic”.
What did Davina say about signs of her menopause?
Davina, who is currently 53, started getting menopause symptoms when she was 44.
She is taking hormone replacement therapy – or HRT.
It does the work of oestrogen as levels decrease when a woman goes through the menopause.
Davina revealed: “I’m on HRT so I have absolutely no excuse to be going doolally but I’m still going doolally on the HRT.”
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She added: “I am less angry. I don’t get night sweats. I don’t get hot flushes. These are the things that have gone. My joints feel, my bones feel lubricated and strong, but my memory…”
Davina has previously stated that kids should be taught about the menopause in school, because she had no idea what the symptoms were when she started to get them.
What are the signs of menopause?
Menopause is defined as the changes a woman goes through just before and after she stops her periods and is no longer able to get pregnant naturally.
According to the NHS, the average age a woman goes through the menopause is 51.
Some experience few, if any symptoms.
I am less angry. I don’t get night sweats and I don’t get hot flushes. These are the things that have gone. My joints feel, my bones feel lubricated and strong, but my memory…
However, around 60% do suffer behavioural changes – and 25% will suffer severe symptoms.
Common symptoms include hot flushes, night sweats, disrupted sleep and mood swings.
Vaginal dryness which also leads to discomfort during sex can be experienced.
Your sex drive can also decrease, and problems with memory and concentration can arise.
Less common symptoms include a tongue that feels like it’s on fire, itchy skin and a racing heartbeat.
What is the perimenopause?
If you’re perimenopausal, it means you’re approaching the menopause.
Your ovaries are starting to make less oestrogen and your cycle starts to change..
Symptoms can include hot sweats, anxiety and sleep problems.
It usually starts eight to 10 years before the menopause, so can start in a woman’s thirties or forties.
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