BBC Pidgin of Friday, 9 December 2022

Source: BBC

Oprah Winfrey share her menopause experience

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey don open up about di symptoms she experience during menopause.

She say she suffer from severe heart palpitations way make her feel like say 'she wan die'.

Di ogbonge TV host give details about her struggles wit menopause for interview.

Menopause na process wey be di signal of di end of women menstrual cycle and di symptoms dey mild and severe symptoms.

Di American dey hope say to tok about di matter go help remove di shame of aging process.

Oprah bin sidon wit her longtime friend Maria Shriver on one episode of Paramount Plus' The Checkup Wit Dr. David Agus.

During dia chat she tell dem say she no experience hot flashes like many women, but she go through bad heart palpitations way make her fear for her life.

Winfrey explain say her symptoms bin worse, she add say sometimes she go dey up at night dey ask herself whether she go make am through di next day.

'I bin get journals wey I write tins like : "I no know if I go make am for morning,"' she tok. 'I bin feel like say I go die every night.'

Di host say wen she bin dey experience menopause, she begin feel restless and bin no be dey able to focus enough to read – na why she end to 'Oprah's Book Club'.

One of her most extreme symptoms na di heart palpitations, she tok. 

'I bin dey perimenopausal, for my late 40s, and I get heart palpitations.

'I go see every doctor possible to try to figure out wetin dey do me, wetin be dis, wetin be dis,' she continue.

Winfrey say she see five different doctors, to try find treatment and di cause for her heart palpitations.

She describe one time she go see a female heart doctor wey put her on heart medication and give her an angiogram, wey be scan to show di blood flow through arteries, veins, or di heart.

'Nobody ever suggest once say dis fit be menopause,' Winfrey tok.

Part of di reason Winfrey say she find herself in pain na because she suffer from lack of knowledge on di issue and she no get any close  pesin to her life wey don discuss di mater bifor -  she add say her mama 'pesin wey dey tok too much '.

'I bin no fit get my mother to talk about am. I bin just dey try to find out wetin be di possibilities of me getting hot flashes or something,'  

'My mother na very, you know, shutdown person [and] I feel say no get symptoms wey she recognize.

'I feel say if you no get hot flashes, wey me no get, then you no go understand di  mood swings.'

Wetin be menopause and wetin be di symptoms?

Menopause na process to signal di end of a women menstrual cycle.

Menopause fit happen to women in dia 40s or 50s, but di average age na 51 for United States, according to Mayo Clinic.

Sabi pipo say di symptoms fit mild to severe.

Symptoms vary from woman to woman, but e include irregular periods, vaginal dryness, hot flashes, chills, night sweats, Sleep problems, mood changes, weight gain and slow metabolism, thinning hair and dry skin, loss of breast fullness.

Winfrey say she also experience heart palpitations.