Naomi Watts has spoken candidly about how she felt being diagnosed with early onset menopause at the age of 36 for the first time in a tell-all interview with Hello magazine.
The 54-year-old said that whilst at the time when first diagnosed she felt like she was “spiraling out of control,” she now feels like she has been “liberated” by the experience.
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“Going through menopause at such a young age was not easy, especially during a time when there was so little information available about it,” the Australian actress revealed.
“Mood swings, night sweats, and migraines…I was feeling like I was spiraling out of control.”
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“[But] going through this journey led me to a deeper understanding of myself, and I came out on the other side feeling more authentically me,” she added.
“A lot of freedom came in the self-acknowledgment.”
For the average woman, menopause is typically experienced at the age of 51.
Roughly five percent of women however will go through early menopause in their 30s or 40s.
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It is extremely rare for menopause to occur before the age of 30.
Symptoms associated with menopause include mood changes, insomnia, increased bladder activity, and discomfort during sex to name a few.
For Naomi, going through menopause at such a young age led her on a journey to a “deeper understanding” of herself.
“I came out on the other side feeling more authentically me. A lot of freedom came in the self-acknowledgment.”
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“I had those voices in the back of my mind reminding me how old women are let out to pasture, but there was a lure to this desire to be authentic, to crawl from behind the invisible wall and just acknowledge for myself something that everyone could have probably guessed.”
Despite her positive outlook on her diagnosis now, however, Naomi did add that she would’ve had an “easier transition” if “menopause hadn’t been such an off-limits topic” when she began to experience symptoms, some 18 years ago.
“I was part of a cycle that desperately needed to be broken,” she said.
“That’s why I’m so passionate about raising awareness and encouraging more honest conversations.”
“The more normalised the conversation can be is going to present an opportunity for everyone to understand.”
“Let’s hope it becomes as easy to talk about this stuff as it’s been to talk about periods.”
