Gwyneth Paltrow wants to change the way women think and talk about menopause. The 46-year-old actress and Goop CEO revealed that she's in perimenopause and beginning to notice the changes in her body. The Mayo Clinic reports that perimenopause happens to women as early as their 30s, as their ovaries become erratic in the production of estrogen. Symptoms include irregular periods, hot flashes, mood changes, and changes in sexual function. Perimenopause happens over the course of several years prior to the onset of menopause.
In a video for Goop, Gwyneth discusses what she's going through and how she remembers the conversation around menopause when it happened to her mother, actress Blythe Danner. Gwyneth believes women are in a unique place at this point in their lives, and with the varying conversations around the female experience, she feels empowered to change the conversation about menopause. Goop has even teamed up with Dr. Dominique Fradin-Read to create Madame Ovary, a subscription of supplements for women in various stages of menopause.
Gwyneth Paltrow is 46 and starting to experience perimenopause symptoms. She's looking to open the conversation and change attitudes about menopause.
In a video for her lifestyle brand, Goop, Gwyneth says this about the feelings she's experienced: "I can feel the hormonal changes happening: the sweating, the moods. You’re just like all of a sudden furious for no reason."
As she's opened up the conversation, she's received questions through Goop about how she's making changes in her life as a result of perimenopause. Gwyneth responded: "I have tweaked my approach to fitness, for example, to bring in more weight-lifting to build bone density, and I continue to eat as healthy as possible — whole foods, lots of green vegetables, clean sources of protein — particularly at lunch. (Everyone needs some off-the-leash time at night.) While I wasn’t overly focused on my hormones in my thirties, I do a panel every six months now to ensure that everything is aligned."
Gwyneth remembers what it was like to hear the conversations about her mother going through menopause and doesn't wish to have the same kinds of conversations around her own experience.
In recalling what the attitudes and conversations were like around Blythe Danner, Gwyneth said, "It was like such a big deal and there was grief around it for her and all of these emotions."
Gwyneth is looking for a shift in the conversation: "I think menopause gets a really bad rap and needs a bit of a rebranding."
Gwyneth decided to band together with her team at Goop to find a way to provide support for women in this stage of their lives.
The result is Madame Ovary, a series of supplements designed to provide some relief for symptoms of women experiencing perimenopause and menopause.
The supplements are a mix of vitamins, herbs, phytonutrients, and adaptogens, developed with Dr. Dominique Fradin-Read.
Gwyneth herself has been using the Madame Ovary protocol and feels it's made a difference in her own experience: "I feel like I have fewer days now when I feel cranky or emotional for no apparent reason. And when I’m even, a packed schedule is infinitely more manageable."
Fans of Gwyneth and Goop are applauding her for bringing more attention to this stage in life and changing the attitude around it.
Menopause doesn't need to be depressing or shameful. Rather, it can be a celebration of a new stage of life and of your relationship with your body.
Women are also hoping that in opening up this conversation, men will stop seeing menopause as a joke or a reason to complain about the behavior of the women in their lives.
Perimenopause and menopause can be overwhelming for women, but with a combination of a good support system and self-care routine, it doesn't have to be a terror.
