Let's respect the aging body-Keiko Kojima talks about the menopause March 3, 17:29
"I'm often asked. Why is it okay to tell people about myself so much?"
Keiko Kojima, an essayist.
She talks about her menopausal symptoms in various media.
Menopause, where the symptoms vary greatly from person to person, and many people have troubles on their own.
I want to change it by "talking". He talked about the shocking events in his thirties and the physical changes in his forties.
"Yeah, menopause!" Let's stop it.
Kojima is now 49 years old.
He started feeling menopausal upset about three years ago.
Why did you decide to talk?
When I asked him, he told me what happened when he was in his thirties, before he had any symptoms.
"On a variety show on TV, I was told" Yo, menopause. "Apparently, this is an idiot that a woman who says" Yo, aunt "or" yo, you're middle-aged "is no longer young. It has a meaning to use when making it. I was surprised that I was being told that now. It is strange that menopause is used like a bad word. That's why I was seriously responding to variety shows. I'm not the age of menopause yet, but it seems that there are many people who have a hard time during menopause. "
"I thought there were a lot of menopausal people watching TV who couldn't tell anyone and had a hard time. If I saw myself being ridiculed on TV in that state It's so hurt that I can't tell anyone. I wanted to get rid of it. So when I'm in the menopause, the biggest motivation is to say I should stop doing it. "
At first, I'm confused by the discomfort I can't say well
Although he was aware of the problem, he couldn't tell people when things started to go wrong.
The reason was the "part of the body" where the symptoms appeared.
"It's difficult to explain, but I felt that something was charged all the time around the end of the uterus and the uterus. It was an unpleasant feeling that static electricity had accumulated around that area. It's not like it hurts, it's not like itching. If I dare to say it, I had an indescribable discomfort like when my legs were numb, and I was wondering what this was, even if I tried to write a manuscript. I couldn't get it easily. No matter how much I searched on the internet, I didn't get a hit with the same frustrating feeling as I did. I knew from the test that it wasn't a sexual illness, so maybe this is sexual desire? No, it's not like that. "
"I think it's embarrassing to be worried about this because of psychological resistance. If you tell people, you might say that it's not good. I couldn't say "
The trigger for the solution is your family doctor
In addition, Mr. Kojima had unexplained problems such as headache, dizziness, and sickness.
One day he decided to tell his gynecologist everything.
"Teacher, I don't know what to explain, but I'll talk about it for the time being," he complained. When he asked, "Is there any name for this?" Everyone has discomfort and troubles that cannot be named. "
Mr. Kojima said, "It's okay because there is a way to make a soft landing."
I asked my family doctor to introduce me to a doctor who is familiar with female urinary organs and a specialist who is familiar with discomfort around the pelvic floor muscles.
It is said that the symptoms gradually disappeared by trying multiple Chinese medicines and hormone replacement therapy in total and finding a medicine that suits him.
"Then, let's take this for a moment, or if this medicine was suitable, through trial and error. I'm glad that I've been able to get along with each other almost well now, and I'm glad I didn't bother. I gradually got organized and realized that I wasn't the only one. So I feel like I've finally reached the point where I can talk to people like this. "
The story of the body is not embarrassing
Looking back on those days, he feels that he was creating a "wall for treatment" himself.
"I later realized what I thought about my genitals and sex. When I thought,'Oh, my body is erotic,' or'Physiology is messy.' When it becomes the most wall, it is an organ that plays an important role like other parts of the body that breathe and digest food, so if you have any problems, you can talk to a specialist. Thinking about it, I think it will be easier for doctors to go, and I feel like I should take good care of it. I think that is probably a very important attitude in dealing with menstruation. "
Mr. Kojima says he is comfortable talking about his symptoms now.
Recently, I talked about it on a radio program where I appeared as a guest.
"I'm 49 years old and I'm in the menopause. I'm sorry for those who were surprised. Please think that this is a story of the human body. Female hormones are decreasing, and along with that, various mysterious upsets occur. That's why ... "
The personality is Makoto Otake, a talent.
After answering all the questions about Mr. Otake's menopause, there was such an exchange at the end.
(Mr. Kojima) Today, I heard a lot about my body, so when Mr. Otake is feeling sick, I always listen to him.
(Mr. Otake) Then next week, I will talk about frequent urination.
(Mr. Kojima) Okay!
(Mr. Otake) Frequent urination, next week.
(Mr. Kojima) By all means, it's important.
(From Nippon Cultural Broadcasting "Makoto Otake Her Golden Radio!" Broadcast on February 24)
In a world where people with troubles are welcomed
Mr. Kojima says that the menopause is an encounter with a "new self."
By talking about her own experience, I hope that not only menopausal women but also "everyone with various bodies" will be valued in a society.
"I hope everyone thinks that everything that happens to the human body is important, because men also have menopause. When men face menopause, they are just as sexual. I hope that you don't make a fool of your decline, but that it's okay for everyone to experience it, so I hope that the menopause of women who still have a strong negative image will change significantly. I think there is. "
"Any age, any gender, any body, when a person's body and life are valued, respected, and need help, they can help. People who have troubles. I want to live in a world where people are welcomed, I "
To you who are having a hard time with menopausal symptoms
"It's tough. I think it's probably different because my body and your body are different, but I feel like I can't explain anything unique to this menopause. Before. Compared to, the world thinks that we should do something about it, so we have more information, more friends, and I'm sure there is a good way to do it. I want to get over it. Really together, somehow, somehow, I'm sure. If I live, I think I'll find a way, and I think it's a little tough here, but I got out of there. In the future, maybe we in the middle of the menopause haven't seen it yet, because I'm sure there's a landscape that says, "Oh, good, come here, isn't it a good place?" I hope we can hold hands together so far. "
Only 30% of people go to the hospital
Menopause refers to the 10 years before and after menopause, and various physical and mental disorders may occur due to a rapid decrease in female hormones.
The main symptoms are hot flashes, sweating, depression, insomnia, etc. If the symptoms are severe enough to interfere with life, it is diagnosed as "menopause".
According to a questionnaire conducted on the Internet, 31% of women in their 40s and 50s who answered that they experienced menopausal symptoms went to the hospital.
Even fewer people have been diagnosed with menopausal symptoms, only 19%.
(From NHK "Survey on Menopause and Work 2021")
March 8th is International Women's Day to think about how women live.
Why don't you think a little about your body and the physical condition of people close to you?
(Social Program Department Rioko Yanagida, Network News Department Mariko Noda)