A Hysterectomy, Surgical Menopause, and the Election | Mahua Moitra | Ep. 3

When menopause is surgically induced, there is no gradual transition. Your estrogen goes to zero overnight. Mahua Moitra describes it as falling off a cliff, and she fell off it eight weeks before fighting a Lok Sabha election. "I had lost my house. I had lost my membership to the Lok Sabha. And I had also lost my uterus." On Menopause: It Was this All Along, she gives Roshini Sanah Jaiswal the account she never got from anyone: what surgical menopause actually does. Night sweats soaked her through for months. She didn't sleep properly from January to October. And like many women, she refused HRT at first, convinced she could push through it, until her sister told her to stop acting like she knew everything and get help. They also talk about why menopause has no word in our languages, why it remains a privilege of the rich to even discuss it, and what it would take to reach the women going through this alone. Her message to the 45-year-old listening in fear: you are not alone, and you are not going mad. What we cover: • Surgically induced menopause after a hysterectomy • Night sweats, insomnia, and sudden estrogen loss • HRT, and why she almost refused it • The lack of menopause specialists and follow-up care in India • Menopause in rural India, and why it stays invisible • Why most Indian languages have no word for menopause • What it costs a powerful woman to admit she isn’t well Listen on: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0zTd... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast... Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/30a3... Timestamps: 0:00 Falling off a cliff: an emergency hysterectomy 9:48 The Parliament speech and the election 15:50 Marriage, intimacy, and recovery 18:07 Menopause in rural India: the void 32:10 Brain fog, power, and her message to you Hosted by Roshini Sanah Jaiswal: @roshinisanahjaiswal Follow: @itwasmenopauseallalong Presented by Justhuman India: @justhumanindia DISCLAIMER: The views shared in this episode are personal experiences and opinions of the guest, not medical or clinical advice. Justhuman does not endorse any specific treatment, product, or practice mentioned. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions. #MahuaMoitra #SurgicalMenopause #Hysterectomy #ItWasMenopauseAllAlong #Menopause #HRT #WomensHealth #MenopauseIndia