Former Loose Women star Andrea McLean, 56, has shared her experience with vaginal atrophy, a painful and under-discussed symptom of menopause. Speaking on the No Parental Guidance podcast, she described how surgical menopause at age 46—triggered by a full hysterectomy for severe endometriosis—plunged her into severe hormonal imbalance. now, she is using her platform to raise awareness and break the silence.

The 'rigid walls' problem: Why vaginal atrophy is far worse than dryness

McLean offered a graphic description of the condition, which she says is often dismissed as simple dryness. 'It's no joke,' she told hosts Louise Boyce and Hannah East. 'That's basically where your vaginal walls get rigid. They're supposed to be fluid and moist… and they don't, they go rigid, which means then if you have sex, it tears .. It's really painful to have sex.' According to Dr Ellie Cannon, cited in the Mail On Sunday, vaginal atrophy occurs due to loss of oestrogen,causing thinning and shrinking of vulvar and vaginal tissues, leading to burning and discomfort that can last months or years.

The 'career suicide' warning McLean faced when she tried to write a menopause book

McLean revealed that years ago she pitched a co-written book about her menopause experience with her doctor. She was told, according to the podcast, that it was 'career suicide. No one will want to hire you. You'll be seen as old and past it. You cannot write this book.' That rejection reflects a broader cultural stigma around menopause in media, as McLean's experience shows. The former daytime TV host left Loose Women in 2020 to start a coaching business, later losing everything when the venture failed—a period she has connected to her health collapse.

Surgical menopause: 'Like plummeting from the top of a rollercoaster'

McLean described the abrupt onset of surgical menopause as a shock to the system. 'Going through surgical menopause as opposed to normal menopause is like going to the top of the rollercoaster and then plummeting downwards because literally your hormone generating engine has completely gone.' This sudden drop, the report notes, explains why symptoms can be far more acute than with natural menopause. She now takes estrogen and progesterone , along with pessaries specifically for vaginal atrophy.

From HRT patches to Estring: What treatments McLean uses and what's still unknown

The main treatments include hormone replacement therapy (HRT) via patches or pills, plus oestrogen cream applied directly to the vulva and vagina. For patients who need more, an Estring—a flexible ring inserted at the top of the vagina that delivers oestrogen for three months—can provide constant relief. McLean has used pessaries and HRT, but as the source notes, the effectiveness varies. What remains unclear: how many women silently suffer with vaginal atrophy without treatment, and why the condition remains so poorly understood by the public. McLean now plans to write a book with her husband, life coach Nick Feeney, focusing on how men can support partners through menopause—a project she was once told would end her career.