If menopause is an inevitable stage for all women, when it occurs prematurely, it is experienced as a shock for the main concerned.
Actress Naomi Watts can attest to that.
At the time of her thirties, shortly after her marriage to Liev Schreiber, the young woman saw her pregnancy plans upset by the announcement of a menopausal body before the hour, says the one who is today at the poster of the thriller
The Watcher
on Netlfix to our colleagues at
Entertainment Weekly
this Monday, October 3.
In video, Naomi Watts lists all the positive aspects of menopause
A shock before its time
“I was struggling.
I actually heard the word menopause just when I wanted to start a family, so you can imagine the panic.
I've certainly never heard the term perimenopause,” she says.
Indeed, if the average age of perimenopause or premenopause is 47.7 years, only 1 to 2% of women experience it before the age of 40.
It results in irregular cycles and very disabling symptoms (mood disorders, hot flashes, night sweats).
Sometimes a history of early menopause in the family can alert the patient.
Except that this crucial information can sometimes go under the radar, to the dismay of those concerned.
Naomi Watts confirms.
“I had in the back of my mind that my mother went through early menopause;
she said it happened when she was 45, but gave me no details about it, she recalls.
So when I got to that, I asked, "Why didn't you tell me more?"
And she was like, 'Well, those are conversations that I didn't have with my mom because she didn't have them with hers.
Read also"I'll tell you what they don't tell you": Salma Hayek talks about the effects of menopause on her breasts
Once the ax fell, the British actress confirms having gone through a difficult period, linked in part to her “fertility crisis”.
If the probability of a spontaneous pregnancy remains relatively low, Naomi Watts will finally experience the joys of motherhood with the birth of her two children, Alexander in 2007 and Samuel, a year later.
Lift a taboo
It will be necessary to wait until she is 40 for the actress to experience menopause and the associated disorders.
“I had night sweats, which mixed with insomnia and the presence of two small babies.
It was not an easy period,” she concedes.
The Briton also recounts having experienced a “terrible skin problem on a series [on which she was working]”.
“I thought I was allergic to makeup or whatever.
I kept changing products and removing things, she recalls.
I had a conversation with my makeup artist, and we finally figured out that was it, that the change in hormones [affected my skin].”
It is also necessary to live with the gaze of others, often full of disarray.
“It was a very private subject for me.
I haven't told many people about it,” she says.
I tried to strike up a conversation with a few people around me, and was greeted with "Oh, that's right", nervous laughter or whatever.
I didn't feel like the door was open at all."
Now 54, the star wants to get out of the shame and invite all women to speak freely about the upheavals associated with perimenopause and menopause.
She is also launching a range of humorous greeting cards on this theme, with the aim of “ending the stigma” that surrounds it.
This initiative, carried out in partnership with Em & Friends, will raise funds for the Alliance For Period Supplies.
In parallel with this event, Naomi Watts is preparing the launch of a wellness brand dedicated to menopause, Stripes, scheduled for World Menopause Day this October 18.
The timing is perfect.