‘Sex has NEVER been the same'

Loose Women’s Andrea McLean opens up on the sadness of ‘painful’ postmenopausal intimacy

- SELINA MAYCOOK

When it comes to confessions, Andrea McLean is not one to leave out any detail. Her book Confessions of a Menopausal Woman became a bestseller and, while she has adjusted to life post-hysterectomy and postmenopause, the mum of two – to son Finlay, 18, and daughter Amy, 13 – has now spoken about the ‘excruciating pain’ she feels during sex with husband Nick Feeney as a result of the changes.

NO ESCAPE

Three years ago Andrea, 50, made the life-changing decision to have a hysterectomy.

‘I was in constant pain and couldn’t carry on any longer. I was sitting in a corner constantly holding my stomach before going on air,’ she said. ‘It was a huge decision and although it was the best thing to do, I was scared about it.’

The Loose Women host has suffered with endometriosis since her 20s – a condition where small pieces of the womb lining grow in other places, such as the ovaries or fallopian tubes. But it was a scan during her five-year battle with perimenopause that prompted surgery.

‘I had cysts on my ovaries so it all needed to come out, and I wrongly thought because I was on HRT [hormone replacement therapy], I’d be fine.