Naomi Watts Says She 'Went Into A Panic' After Experiencing Menopause Symptoms at 36
The 'Ring' star said when she reached her early-to-mid-40s, she found herself to be alone, without a community to help her out and make her aware of this transition.
Menopause can be quite a challenging experience for women, who experience varied symptoms during this phase. Simply put, menopause is the cessation of the menstrual cycles, diagnosed when one has gone without a menstrual period for 12 months. It can happen in your 40s or 50s, but rarely does it happen in the 30s. For actor Naomi Watts, however, experiencing menopause alone and in her 30s was a daunting experience that she wishes for no woman to ever experience. The 'King Kong' actor recently opened up to People magazine about going through menopause at an early age, and how it led to her coming up with her own menopausal wellness brand.
"My story started so early. It was so shocking and just flooded me with shame that I just went into a panic," Watts, now 55 years old, told the outlet. Her transition apparently began at the age of 36, which is very rare. Most women continue to ovulate during this time and can even have babies. It completely caught Watts 'off guard'.
"I had irregular periods, night sweats and I certainly told doctors about it, but they didn't chalk that up to being anything other than stress or something, because of course, 36, no way, you're far too young," the British actor was quoted as telling People.
The 'Ring' star also said that when she reached her early-to-mid-40s, she started to experience 'hardcore symptoms' of menopause. She found herself to be alone, without a community to help her out and make her aware of this transition. "My skin started going berserk. I had irritable, itchy, sensitive skin," Watts recalled, adding that she was in a 'loop' of "not knowing enough about my health and I just started Googling and figuring it out on my own".
She also shared advice for women approaching menopause: "Don't fear it, get ahead of it."
Early Or Premature Menopause
According to womenshealth.gov, menopause that happens before the age of 40 is called 'premature menopause'. When menopause takes place between 40 and 45 years, it is called 'early menopause'. In fact, about 5 per cent of women go through early menopause naturally. It could be because of smoking, taking certain medicines for treatment, having a family history of early or premature menopause, undergoing a surgery to remove ovaries or uterus, undergoing chemotherapy or pelvic radiation treatments for cancer, etc. Certain autoimmune diseases like thyroid and rheumatoid arthritis may also cause the immune system to attack the ovaries and stop them from making hormones.
Risk Factors
Some women with early or premature menopause may also be at a higher risk of suffering from health problems like heart diseases and osteoporosis. Additionally, depression over the loss of fertility and changes in the body may also creep in.