Brooke Shields opens up about struggles with menopause

Actress Brooke Shields has opened up about experiencing menopause and how she made her own community when she felt so alone in her struggle.

Speaking to Web M.D., the actress spoke about the importance of confidence.

"For some reason, society thinks of this era of life as being all about menopause and being at the end of things," she said.

"You hear words like 'dry' or 'tired' or 'over,' and it all creates a message of giving up. But personally, I feel more confident in all areas of my life at this age."

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Shields expressed the need for more information and education around menopause and perimenopause, finding that even doctors were not very informed on the matter.

She shared that her hot flashes would come at moments of heightened anxiety and would make her "feel like [she's] dying."

The 57-year-old was luckily able to receive bioidentical treatments that could help replace some of the lost estrogen in her body.

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The solution helped her feel relieved.

"I thought I would have to suffer through it, but there are alternatives. There's more choice involved in this era of our lives than ever before, and that information isn't always disseminated," she said.

Her struggles with menopause made her think deeply about female health, with the star recalling, "I thought, 'I cannot be the only female in the world ever to have experienced menopause symptoms.' The more I looked at it, the more I realised that people are ashamed. And the messaging out there is that we should be."

"So I decided to go to the community to see if I was the only one experiencing this disconnect," she shared.

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Shields decided to started an online forum called Beginning is Now, where women over 40 could talk openly about their life goals. Three years on, it now has a following of over 2 million.

"They see women in this age celebrating each other and working with each other, living non-diminished lives of vitality and vibrancy, claiming seats at the table, and I want them to know that's what this period of time is – it's not all menopause," she says, "It's just one tiny little piece of a whole, rich, exciting picture."

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