Quebec MNA speaks openly about menopause after hot flash caught on camera

Liberal MNA Jennifer Maccarone posted a video of herself experiencing a hot flash in a parliamentary committee, urging open discussion about menopause.

Liberal MNA Jennifer Maccarone posted a video on social media in which she openly talks about experiencing a hot flash caused by menopause during a parliamentary committee meeting.

In the Facebook post, the MNA for Westmount–Saint-Louis made light of the “funny moment,” saying that many women would relate.

“When you get a hot flush on camera, live on air: that’s life as an MNA going through menopause,” she wrote.

In the video, Maccarone noted there were many women in the room and that the topic of menopause should be talked about openly.

“It happens to all women, so there you have it, I’m menopausal and I’m hot. I’m not ashamed of it,” she said in the video.

In an interview Thursday, Maccarone said she made those comments after colleagues asked if she was okay. She said it created some embarrassment around the table, noting that some of her colleagues were uncomfortable.

“I had a hot flash, and they’re very distracting. If you know anybody who’s lived with a hot flash, you understand that it kind of encompasses all of your thoughts, because it’s a surprise, and it feels like somebody’s turned the heat on to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and so I was distracted, and that’s why it came out.”

She added that she doesn’t understand why menopause is not discussed publicly and said it remains a taboo subject in society.

“I’m living with the symptoms. It’s not always easy. It doesn’t change the nature of my work or the quality of what I bring to commission, but it’s my reality, and so I think that it’s okay to share that and not be embarrassed by it,” Maccarone said.

Maccarone received hundreds of positive comments on social media, with many women thanking the politician for speaking about menopause publicly.

“What I have felt through all of these messages is the solidarity amongst women. And I think the most important message is to say, ‘It’s okay to talk about it, and you’re all living similar, not all the same, symptoms,’” she said.

“That’s not the only symptom that I have. Brain fog is a very real issue, and it’s not always easy in a parliamentary commission when you forget your words and everything is filmed, but you know 51 per cent of the population is behind you.”