Navigating the perimenopause; Increase in online accessing of child sexual images; Nawal El Saadawi's death at 89

The average age of menopause is 51, and menopause itself only lasts for one day, because it simply marks the one-year anniversary of your last period. Perimenopause, on the other hand, refers to the period of time in which you’ll have cycles, but start to experience ‘menopausal’ symptoms. Three quarters of women experience significant symptoms during the perimenopause, yet there is little in the way of evidence based information available. Comical descriptions of symptoms including hot flushes and mood swings are widespread and prevent essential details on the myriad of other symptoms and signs a woman is perimenopausal. Maisie Hill is a women's health advocate and author of Perimenopause Power. She joins Emma to discuss the symptoms and her toolkit of tips and techniques women can use to help themselves.

Last year the National Crime Agency assessed there were at least 300,000 individuals posing a sexual threat to children in the UK, and warned of a spike in online child sexual abuse offending during the pandemic. The Stop It Now helpline, a part of child protection charity the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, is a nationwide service which offers advice and support for men viewing illegal sexual images of under 18s or feeling they are on the verge of doing so. They have reported an increase in people seeking help for their illegal online behaviour since the beginning of the 2020 Covid-19 lockdowns. Emma speaks to Donald Findlater, Director of the helpline since it started in 2002.

The pioneering Egyptian feminist Nawal El Saadawi has died at the age of 89. She was a doctor, feminist and writer who was described as "the Simone de Beauvoir of the Arab World" and as "Egypt's most radical woman'. BBC Cairo correspondent Sally Nabil joins Emma to talk about her life and work.