“It’s just another chapter for us,” the actress tells PEOPLE of the natural transition experienced by women
Gwyneth Paltrow is feeling some relief now that menopause has become less of a taboo topic.
“I’m glad that there is a big change in the culture and women are talking about this now.
Because in my mother’s generation that was not the case whatsoever,” she tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue.
At 51, the actress says she’s in the midst of perimenopause — the often years-long transition prior to menopause when hormones fluctuate and women experience a range of symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, insomnia and irregular periods. Menopause is defined as twelve months without menstruation.
“I’m really in the thick of perimenopause, so it’s quite a roller coaster and my best advice is that every woman really needs to contemplate what is the right way for her,” she explains. “For me, I’ve been really trying to focus on having a very well-functioning gut and liver so that these excess hormones can be flushed out of the body and cause less symptoms.”
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Paltrow was 45 years old when she first started noticing a “shift” in body. But because menopause isn’t discussed too often, she says it’s easy to feel like you’re “losing your mind.”
“I just thought it was so strange that there was nowhere that I could go to understand if everything I was going through was normal. Now I’m getting my period every 18 days, or whatever came up,” she adds, noting that her friends were going through the same but no one ever mentioned it. “So now we’re trying to just talk about it more.”
The Politician actress says simply talking about menopause can help women manage symptoms and understand that it’s a normal and natural transition.
“There are a lot of great options available, whether it’s HRT or different supplements, but I’m just glad everybody’s talking about it because it used to be so full of shame and it’s just another chapter for us,” Paltrow says.
“It’s nothing to be hidden. I think it’s great, and I’m so happy that there’s a community now, and that there are these great startups springing up,” she continues, noting Evernow, Midi Health, and Naomi Watts’ brand Stripes. “There’s all these platforms that are being created to help women through it.”
For more on Gwyneth Paltrow, pick up this week’s issue of People, on newsstands Friday.