Gabby Logan has said men need to know more about the menopause so they can have a greater “empathy and understanding” towards women.
The BBC sports broadcaster told the Women’s Health Going For Goal podcast that she did not anticipate the effect the menopause would have on her.
Logan, 47, said “more people are talking about” the effects of the menopause and perimenopause and it is “a conversation that’s growing in volume”.
She added: “But also, men work alongside women, men are married to women, and I think men also need to know what’s going on because we need to have that empathy and understanding of what’s happening to our partners, our friends.
“I just did not understand fully what was happening or going to happen to me, I’ll be honest.”
Logan said she did not want the menopause to interfere with her work.
“I on the inside didn’t feel any different to the 32-year-old me,” she said.
“Yes, I’ve got more lines and of course I’m not looking exactly the same as I was when I was 32… but I also felt like I’d got more experience, there’s more I want to do and I’m better at my job, so all those things that are plus points for being a bit older.
“I just didn’t want to stop work just because of being a certain age.
“Being able to keep those conversations going on live television and all those things requires mental dexterity and cognitive ability.”
She added that women can “suddenly disappear from boards or from being the CEO because they don’t quite get there because of this period in their life that can cause confusion, physically and emotionally and mentally”.
“So, for me, it’s really important that women keep pushing through and get those top jobs… and it’s not because of what happens in their menopause that they disappear.”
Logan said she has had hormone replacement therapy to help her deal with perimenopausal symptoms.
“I felt like, ‘I’m not feeling the best version of me that I can feel right now’, and I don’t want to allow myself to slow for no reason,” she said.
“So that’s been about six months since I saw (my doctor) and I feel really good and I’m very lucky because I haven’t had a lot of the more aggressive symptoms that you get with the menopause.”
Listen to the full Gabby Logan interview on the Women’s Health Going For Goal podcast, available now.