We spoke with our CEO, Gerie, about The (M) Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause (she’s in it!), why this documentary is so important, and what she wishes people knew more about when it comes to menopause. Our interview has been edited for clarity.
FP: The M Factor is reaching a lot of people. Why do you think it is the right time for this kind of a film?
Gerie: Women are concerned that hegemonic masculinity is rearing its ugly head. The combination of ageism and misogyny is particularly apparent when it relates to women who can no longer bear children. However, women are a force and the sheer number of women in this phase of life creates a powerful sisterhood. Menopause is a time of rebirth! It’s a time of liberation from issues of menstruation and childbearing when our sexual self-confidence can flourish.
FP: In the film, you speak about over-the-counter supplements, which are distinct from prescribed medication for women in menopause. How would you discuss the relationship between Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and taking supplements?
Gerie: HRT is one option women may consider in consultation with their healthcare practitioners. Diet, exercise, and supplements should be part of the tool kit for menopause. Intimate skin moisturizers and personal lubricants help keep the genitalia hydrated and supple. All of these may work synergistically with HRT, or alone.
FP: What is one fact about menopause you think has been under-discussed when it comes to the social conversation on menopause?
Gerie: Mental wellness should be front and center. Women disproportionately suffer from major depressive disorder and this can be exacerbated during the hormonal roller coaster of perimenopause and menopause.
FP: What is a woman?
Gerie: A woman is a force of nature—physically and emotionally strong. We deal with adversity, and we are resourceful. Women persevere.
FP: Do you think the medical field has recovered from the 2002 World Health Institute (WHI) study claiming that hormone therapy is unequivocally linked to breast cancer?
Gerie: We need to refrain from condemning the WHI. We learned a lot from the WHI that has opened up opportunities to identify where we should refocus our research efforts. The real need is to invest in research to study diverse populations including Black and brown women, and various ethnicities, and the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of HRT in various subpopulations. Medical practitioners need to have hard data to make informed decisions about what to recommend, to whom, and the appropriate therapeutic dose/dosing regimen.
FP: If there is one thing you want people to take away about understanding menopause, what would it be?
Geri: Menopause is not a disability! Education about the transitions between puberty, parenthood, perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause should take place in sex education at middle and high school levels. These natural life cycles women go through, and may go through if they become parents, should be a significant part of professional and medical school curricula.