WE'VE all heard the stories about hot flushes and mood swings, but until you've been there, no one really knows what the menopause is like.

But a new musical coming to Malvern is about to change all that and tackle what was once considered a taboo' subject head on.

Hot Flush! is described as a celebration of the wonderful world of HRT', but star of the show - the sexy, sassy and sophisticated Sheila Ferguson of Three Degrees fame - prefers to dub it the Vagina Monologues meets Sex and the City.

"The menopause has never been this good," she said.

And she should know.

The character she plays in the show, Sylvia, was written especially for her - and there are more than a few similarities.

"Each character in the musical is clearly defined," she said.

"As well as me, there's Rula Lenska, Marti Webb and Rachel Izen and we play four women with problems - whether it's with their husbands or their lovers - but they have one thing in common, they are all of a certain age and fighting the change "I play a woman who has been on HRT for 15 years and her sex life is going ballistic - so she has an affair with Rula Lenska's 18-year-old son.

"It's just hysterical and it amazes me that every night the audience has been rolling in the aisles.

"Let's face it, the menopause isn't usually seen as a funny subject but Hot Flush is all about breaking the taboos.

"Even the men find it funny - after all, most have them have lived with a woman going through the menopause at some point."

As for her own experiences of the menopause, Sheila - who is "59 before you ask" - counts herself lucky that she has never really suffered the negative effects of the change'.

"After my twin daughters, who are now 25, were born I was always on some sort of medication for various gynaecological problems until in the end it was suggested I had a hysterectomy," she said.

"I underwent the operation at 44 so, like my character, I have been on HRT for 15 years.

"It was great straightaway. I remember one benefit very clearly.

"I had suffered terrible water retention and my bra size used to fluctuate from A to double D - it used to drive the crew on my sitcom Land Of Hope And Gloria crazy for continuity reasons!

"Once I went on HRT all that stopped and all their problems stopped."

Sheila is not backwards in coming forwards about the other similarity with Gloria - her sex life.

Although not having an affair with an 18-year-old, Sheila's partner is, at 37, 22 years her junior.

"Just like Sylvia, my sex drive went through the roof once I started HRT and my boyfriend loves it - he can just about keep up!" she boasts.

On a more serious note, Sheila recommends that all women give HRT a go if it suits them.

"You have to decide whether it works for your body - but it's been great for me," she said.

"One of the upsides for me is that it also prevents the onset of glaucoma and cataracts which run in my family - and best of all it also keeps me looking young!"

Hot Flush! runs at Malvern Theatres from Monday, May 21, to Saturday, May 26.

MENOPAUSE: THE FACTS

The menopause occurs in all women. Ovaries naturally fail to produce estrogen and progesterone when they have few remaining egg cells. The resulting changing levels of ovarian hormones are thought to be the cause of menopausal symptoms.

The average age of the natural menopause is 51 years, but it can occur much earlier or later. Menopause occurring before the age of 45 is called early menopause and before the age of 40 is premature menopause.

Early menopause symptoms include physical, sexual and psychological problems. Physical symptoms include hot flushes, night sweats, palpitations, insomnia and headaches.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) can be very effective in relieving symptoms such as hot flushes, sweats, mood swings, irritability, insomnia, palpitations, joint aches, vaginal dryness and discomfort and urinary frequency and is still the most effective treatment available.

Problems associated with HRT include increased risks of breast cancer (with long duration HRT), blood clot and possibly cardiovascular disease.

There are some dietary or natural alternatives to HRT. Estrogenic activity can be found in naturally occurring products and are mostly found in cereals, soy, legumes and some grasses such as red clover. Herbal remedies such as don quai, ginseng, St John's Wort and black cohosh have also been used.