Celebrity Menopause Confessions

1. Oprah Winfrey

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Oprah Winfrey disclosed that she experienced terrible heart palpitations that made her feel like she "was going to die." The TV star experienced the frightening medical condition during menopause and recalls lying awake at night wondering if she would survive to see the next day.

2. Meg Matthews

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Meg Matthews initially misdiagnosed her menopause symptoms which appeared in her early 40s, as glandular fever. She revealed that she didn't leave her house for three months because she felt flat, nauseous, and her joints became inflamed. "I didn’t have hot flushes or any of the other things you are told are symptoms of menopause. I had all the things that are lesser known," she said.

3. Paulina Porizkova

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Model Paulina Porizkova said that after experiencing "the change," maintaining her physical fitness required a ton of work. The Czech model and writer revealed that she had to reduce her Pilates sessions because her hips were painful. Aging has some disadvantages, she said, which mainly means that you have to work two times harder for things you did almost nothing before.

4. Ulrika Jonsson

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The British TV personality published a frank description of her menopause in The Daily Mail, which went viral and received hundreds of positive messages from women all over the world. She discussed the mental fog she experienced at age 46 that led her to fear she was going to develop dementia, as well as symptoms of insomnia, anxiety, unexplained weight gain, and "discomfort in the nether regions" that she claims caused her marriage to end.

5. Drew Barrymore

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Barrymore realized she was approaching menopause when she started getting her period every two weeks rather than once a month. But that was just the perimenopause phrase. The worst part? Her doctor informed her that the symptoms could last up to ten years (we're talking about the worst-case scenario). "I thought, 'I'll never last ten years like this!'" Drew said.

6. Trisha Goddard

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Trisha experienced menopause at the age of 50 because of the chemotherapy treatment she got for breast cancer. Unfortunately, she couldn't get any hormonal treatment because she needed to be estrogen-free, but she exercised a lot to lessen the effect it had on her. Goddard also said that running and weight training were the only things that saved her mentally and physically.

7. Michelle Obama

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Michelle Obama, the former first lady, has been using hormone replacement treatment ever since a hot flush knocked her unconscious when she was traveling to an event with her husband. She goes into great detail about going through menopause on her podcast, explaining that she also felt hot at random times.

8. Gayle King

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King also had all the regular symptoms, like physical heat, occasional dripping, and drenching sweats which (of course!) happen at the worst times and places. The TV personality said that while the fact that menopause can last 10 years is true, it likely won't take that much. However, by the time you're 50, you just know something's going on.

9. Mariella Frostrup

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The "Truth about Menopause," a ground-breaking BBC1 program, was produced by British journalist and broadcaster Mariella Frostrup, who is also the head of the Menopause Mandate, a group of women working to transform the support and guidance women receive throughout menopause. Frostrup and the Menopause Mandate team campaign for long-term changes and for the authorities to address the disparities that women in menopause face.

10. Cynthia Nixon

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Fortunately, not all accounts of menopause are unfavorable. Cynthia Nixon, who played in the famous "Sex and the City" movie, disclosed to Stellar magazine that she was going through menopause alongside her wife, education activist Christine Marinoni, but that she was looking forward to the transition.

11. Penny Lancaster

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Penny Lancaster, a freelance photographer, model, actor, and regular panelist on "Loose Women," has been candid about her menopausal experience and how it has affected her and her husband. In an interview with HELLO!, she discussed how she initially found menopause to be terrifying.

12. Lorraine Kelly

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Lorraine has opened up about her unpleasant menopausal experience, which left her feeling emotionally "flat." The TV anchor recalls, "We were in Spain, and I couldn't understand why I felt flat. I mean really flat." She compared the experience with being pregnant and sobbing at random times. Lorraine also said that she was incredibly tired all the time.

13. Tracee Ellis Ross

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The actress brushed the topic when she revealed that she's in perimenopause, revealing that the change was incredibly bizarre, but she considers it the most amazing overture to a fresh chapter and new part of her life. Tracee said that one of her friends told her to enjoy this period, saying that it's an offer from life itself into her wild woman phase.

14. Gwyneth Paltrow

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During a "Ask Me Anything" session on the podcast for her brand Goop, actress and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow discussed how she is handling perimenopause in her late 40s. For her, the symptoms were irregular, but she's had her share of heart palpitations and hormone deregulations. Gwyneth also urged women to consult their doctors and take the best possible care of themselves.

15. Kim Cattrall

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The actress talked openly about menopause in 2013, saying that "Literally one moment you’re fine, and then the next, you feel like you’re in a vat of boiling water and the rug has been lifted from under you." Cattrall portrayed Samantha Jones in the movie "Sex and the City," a woman who also experiences "the change." She later became the face of menopause thanks to her TV show "Sensitive Skin," opening the way for an army of celebrities to follow in her footsteps.

16. Liz Earle

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The wellness specialist and beauty entrepreneur also wants to change the way that people talk about menopause. Earle anticipated hot flashes and night sweats, but she actually had tinnitus, insomnia, and headaches — all the less common menopause symptoms. Earle has written a book titled "The Good Menopause Guide" as well as an e-book that focuses on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) in an effort to help dispel some of what she believes are incorrect assumptions about menopause and HRT.

17. Shaparak Khorsandi

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The comedian and author wrote a story for The Independent with the headline, "Forget small talk, I want to tell you about the menopause and why I feel like a slug lost in fog." She believes that women should talk about this change in their bodies openly and freely and not deal with it in utter privacy.

18. Gillian Anderson

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The actress starring in "The Fall" and "The X-Files" experienced perimenopause, which is the start of menopause, at age 46. In an interview with Lenny Letter, Anderson explained that she started to feel like her life was falling apart, which prompted her to think something might be going on with her internally.

19. Whoopi Goldberg

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Whoopi Goldberg discussed heat flashes and other hormonal fluctuations. Oddly enough, Whoopi was caught off guard by "the change," as it was formerly referred to in muttered voices, despite the incessant meno-chatter of today. Whoopi stated, “My sex drive has totally changed. One minute I’m like, ‘Yeah! I can’t wait for it.’ The next, I’m saying, ‘Oh God, go away.’”

20. Angelina Jolie

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Angelina Jolie is one of the few celebrities that talked about menopause in public. Jolie's surgery on her ovaries and fallopian tubes to prevent malignancy triggered her menopause at around 40 years old. However, she says she enjoys the change, admitting, “I actually love being in menopause. I haven’t had a terrible reaction to it, so I’m very fortunate. I feel older, and I feel settled being older.”

21. Michelle Heaton

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The pop artist and mother of two underwent menopause at the age of 35 following a hysterectomy procedure in 2015. And even though Heaton later became a supporter of menopause, she has never discussed the full depth of the transformations she went through after "the change" — until now. "Women frequently lack the confidence to discuss menopause changes, including loss of periods, leaks, and incontinence," she said.

22. Stacy London

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When the veteran of "What Not to Wear" and "The View" started experiencing menopausal symptoms at age 47, it absolutely caught her off guard and inspired her to pursue a new line of work. She revealed that she couldn't sleep, had trouble remembering common words, cried constantly, and her skin dried up a lot. London additionally stated that upon realizing that she could not, even if she wanted to, have children, she suffered from a lot of grief.

23. Cheryl Hines

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In order to raise awareness of a condition known as vulvar and vaginal atrophy, which plagues millions of postmenopausal women and can make sex uncomfortable, the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star created a campaign together with the pharmaceutical firm AMAG. Hines said she wants to destigmatize painful sex due to menopause, adding that women are prepared by family and doctors when it comes to puberty and giving birth, but that's just not the case with menopause.

24. Kelly Ripa

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Kelly Ripa believed she was pregnant during the pandemic, but then her husband, Mark Consuelos, reminded her about menopause. During an interview with Haute Living, the anchor of "Live With Kelly and Ryan" revealed she's got some NSFW stories written in her book, "Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories," including the one when she thought she was pregnant, while she was actually experiencing menopause.

25. Sharron Davies

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Fortunately, Davies is among the few women who hadn't had many menopausal symptoms. She didn't recall her mother going through it either. The former Olympic swimmer revealed that she feels lucky (how can you not!) when she sees her friends getting terrible heat sweats.

26. Salma Hayek

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Hayek might be the funniest of them all, and the same happened when she talked about going through menopause. The good thing is that she sees the changes in her body and mind positively: Allegedly, the doctor asked her whether her ears were growing and if she's noticed new hair in her ears. The actress also added that she has experienced mood swings and hot flashes, which were really unpleasant for her.

27. Karen Arthur

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Karen Arthur believes that black women in menopause aren't represented at all in the media. She explained that black women often experience this change two years earlier than white women, and their symptoms can be worse. "To take care of one other and ourselves, we need to be more honest about our experiences," Arthur said.

28. Andrea McLaren

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After a protracted fight with endometriosis, Andrea underwent a hysterectomy in 2016, which resulted in early menopause. The "Loose Women" star chose to publish her frank memoir, "Confessions of a Menopausal Woman," after becoming overwhelmed by the symptoms that ensued and is now touring in support of the book.

29. Beverly Johnson

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Beverly recalls the start of her menopause as a crucial time in her life. She moved quickly from her full-of-life 40s to "the change," a transition that caught her unprepared. Like some other celebrities, the model suffered a hysterectomy, and again, as it happens to so many women, the doctors didn't fully explain the changes she will likely see to her body after the surgery. "My body changed. You start gaining weight in the middle. And I was still modeling. I felt tired," she recalled.

30. Davina McCall

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There was a genuine outpouring of relief when TV host Davina McCall released her menopause documentary in May 2021, titled "Sex, Myths and the Menopause," in which she spoke honestly about her own experiences. Thousands of women took to social media to share their stories of menopause, as well. In the documentary, McCall opens up the topic by discussing her feelings of frustration, tears, and anger at how poorly science has treated women with menopause.

31. Sophie, Countess of Wessex

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Sophie, the Countess of Wessex - more formally known as the Duchess of Edinburgh - is a member of the British royal family, and wife of King Charles III's brother, Edward. Sophie took part in a roundtable discussion with the Wellbeing of Women charity in order to show her backing of the initiative, 'Menopause Workplace Pledge'. During the discussion, Sophie said that not having periods anymore should be a "celebration" and not something seen as negative. She also spoke about the importance of women in the workplace going through the menopause, and how it's "tragic" women have to leave because of it.

32. Naomi Watts

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Hollywood actress Naomi Watts actually shared an Instagram post to talk about menopause - and her menopause experience - on social media. The actress spoke about how it's strange menopause is seen as taboo when it's such a natural thing, and she shared the fact that the menopause hit her from nowhere in her late 30s, and she felt like she couldn't comfortably talk about it to anyone because it had happened at a much earlier age for her than it had to the people around her (the average age for menopause is after the age of 45).

33. Emma Thompson

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Emma Thompson has always been a very accommodating and open actress - she's the sort of woman you'd expect to be able to sit down with and have a nice, open chat about the way that women's bodies change. Surprisingly, she hasn't written a tell all autobiography about her experience, but she hasn't been too shy to make a comment about it - while accepting an award in front of millions of people, to say the least! When picking up her best actress award for Saving Mr Banks, she said she was "actively grateful for the menopause" because it was a cold night!

34. Julie Walters

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Julie Walters, being the hilarious acting legend that she is, definitely hasn't been shy either about discussing her own experience with the menopause - and in comedy fashion at that - particularly her experience with hot flashes. She said that it was "like a chimney" moving up from the bottom of her back, and that her flushes were so bad they had to stop filming scenes during a TV show she was on. She said they had people to fan her with a big tray, and that she found the wig and padding on Harry Potter very difficult and needed air conditioning on her face!

35. Bette Midler

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When acting legend and singer Bette Midler was speaking openly about the menopause during an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2001, it was with particular focus with how women in the acting industry are treated when they have menopause. She explained that in that "culture", it's very common to "throw you out" when you get older, alluding to the fact that older women are less likely to get acting roles in showbiz. She did also say that she doesn't think anyone should "obsess" over menopause or getting older - wise words!

36. Hillary Clinton

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When former first lady of the United States Hillary Clinton was promoting her series Gutsy, she had a chance to talk about her own thoughts and feelings - and her own experience - on menopause. She spoke about going through menopause after turning 50, when her husband, Bill Clinton, was going through his second term as president. She said that people never spoke about it publicly, and that it would always have to be a conversation behind closed doors with friends, and she said how it's a good thing we're talking more about women's health issues these days.

37. Gabby Logan

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Gabby Logan is a BBC Sport TV host, and she's also one of many celebrities that has been honest and open with her experience of the menopause. She spoke about her experience on The Midpoint podcast, and said that it started at the age of 47 for her, when she realized she was suddenly not feeling herself and being more forgetful - to the point she was actually forgetting the names of people in sport that she was supposed to talk to on TV. She said at first she didn't realize what was happening to her, or that it was even the menopause.

38. Judy Greer

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American actress Judy Greer has also spoken about her experience with menopause, as well as perimenopause - and it's no surprise when she also has a hormonal health brand that she co-founded! Greer has also advocated for more people openly speaking about it so that no one should feel isolated during this changing time of their life. She admitted that it's easy to feel like you're 'losing your mind' when the symptoms kick in, and during this part of life, which is why it's so important for people to get talking about it and share their stories.

39. Celebrity Pregnancy Confessions: Halsey

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Before she finally got pregnant, singer Halsey had been going through fertility issues for many years, so thought it might never even happen. When they announced that they were expecting for the very first time, there were some upsetting rumors where people had thought she'd gotten pregnant by accident - when in fact she'd been struggling to get pregnant for years, whilst actively trying. The hardest part of the pregnancy for her was dealing with this unfounded rumors on what should be a happy occasion for her to share.

40. Amy Schumer

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Comedienne Amy Schumer has been open about her pregnancy experience - even so much so that she posted a photo to her social media of her in the hospital bed. She explained that she suffered from seriously bad morning sickness - called hyperemesis gravidarum - and that she was surprised she had it so bad during the second trimester when she'd been told that would be the easier one! She was open about her struggles with the extreme morning sickness and how ill she'd been with her pregnancy - though still considered herself lucky to have a baby on the way!

41. Mandy Moore

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Actress Mandy Moore shared with her following on Instagram the surprising fact that she was struggling so much in her third trimester. While we know that pregnancy can be a unique experience for everyone, and no one experiences each trimester the same, the actress still didn't expect to be so ill during the third one! She revealed on social media that she was "nauseous, exhausted and weepy" out of nowhere, but when she was feeling better the day after the post, she went back on to say that hormones are definitely "no joke"!

42. Adele

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Singer Adele isn't one to keep quiet about her life, happily sharing pretty much everything with her followers and taking her concerts as opportunities to have a nice chat! One of the things she's happy to talk about is her pregnancy experience - and struggles. She specifically wanted to address how deep her voice was on the track for James Bond, Skyfall. Apparently that had been down to her pregnancy at the time - that her voice got a lot lower as a side effect - and she had to ask the audience at a concert to bear with her because she might not be able to reach those lower notes as easily now not pregnant!

43. Cardi B

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Rapper Cardi B not only shared her pregnancy experience with her fans, but she was kind enough to give video evidence of what she was going through, too! Cardi B posted a video to her social media that shower her baby moving around pretty aggressively in her stomach, complaining that it was moving around so much for hours that she couldn't have a nap, and she didn't understand what it was complaining about, quite frankly. And based on the amount it was wriggling, she must have needed to run to the bathroom and pee a lot

.

44. Chrissy Teigen

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American model and television personality Chrissy Teigen has never been one to keep her private life too private, as she enjoys sharing photos, videos and stories about her family with her fans. In regard to her pregnancy stories - and complaints - the one thing she seemed to struggle with most of all when pregnant with her son, Miles, was severe headaches. She took to social media to ask for help in dealing with the seriously bad headaches, saying that water and painkillers just won't cut it - and that she needed "witchcraft"!

45. Hilary Duff

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Actress Hilary Duff was another celebrity who chose social media to share her pregnancy realities and woes! She posted on social media during her pregnancy in 2018 to share how much of a bad time she was having it the second time around - apparently it was a much worse experience than her first one. She shared her struggles with getting up "9 times a night to pee" and particularly with how strange it was for her to look in the mirror at her "big" belly, boobs and body that didn't feel like her own. Apparently she wasn't much of a fan of looking in the mirror!

46. Kelly Clarkson

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American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson's morning sickness was so bad that she was even throwing up right before going on talk shows or showing up for public events. When appearing on the Ellen show, she told the host that she'd thrown up right before coming out to sit on the couch! That was all thanks to her first child, River. She also explained how she thinks it's all lies about how people say you look good when you're pregnant, and you're 'glowing' - when actually she felt unattractive and said the only glow she has is after she's thrown up!

47. Katherine Heigl

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There was one thing in particular that actress Katherine Heigl struggled the most with when she was pregnant - and this was the third time for her, pregnant with her son Joshua, so you'd think she'd expect all that by now! Apparently this particular problem hadn't happened before, though - unless it was just especially bad the third time around. And that problem was gas! She explained that she was always burping in front of co-stars even though she didn't mean to - she couldn't control it, and would just be burping in the middle of speaking.

48. Shenae Grimes-Beech

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Canadian actress Shenae Grimes-Beech took it one step further than a few social media posts to her Instagram - she set up a whole vlog on her YouTube channel for fans to follow her pregnancy journey, which turned out to be one full of hurdles. She explained that she struggled especially with bacne, a huge breakout of cystic acne spots on her back that she hadn't prepared herself for. The worst part about it was that the usual products you'd use for tackling acne, like saclicylic acid, couldn't be used when you're pregnant!

49. Ciara

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Singer Ciara went through a much more difficult pregnancy the third time than she did with her first two pregnancies - which is always worse when you think 'oh I've already been through it twice, I know what to expect!'. Ciara admitted that her body was in a lot more pain than before, that it was "so achy" and she was in so much pain she even considered she might need a cane to help her get around! We know 'waddling' during pregnancy is relatively normal, but she said she was walking like a penguin by the end of it!

50. Colleen Ballinger

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36-year-old American comedienne Colleen Ballinger is the mind behind the Miranda Sings YouTube series, as well as being an actress, singer and writer. That's a whole lot of job roles to fill when you're struggling through a difficult pregnancy! The YouTuber shared her woes on Instagram - like so many other celebs - with a pregnancy clip and a rather brutally honest caption, explaining that she "hadn't pooped in weeks". Seriously, the peeing 9 times a night complaint is real, but being constipated when you're pregnant has to be worse!