Zoe Hardman’s simple tips that helped her menopause symptoms
31 October 2022, 12:06 | Updated: 8 November 2022, 08:44
Promoted by Boots No7 Beauty & Skincare
Zoe Hardman has opened up about the symptoms she faced when going through menopause at the age of 37-years-old.
For anyone experiencing perimenopause or menopause, the journey can be confusing, painful and exhausting.
This was definitely true for Zoe Hardman, who began experiencing severe symptoms when she was 37-years-old.
Back in 2019, the Heart presenter started getting headaches, night sweats and brain fog, as well as ‘severe low mood’ and was diagnosed with early menopause a year later.
According to the NHS website, menopause and perimenopause symptoms can start months or years before your periods stop.
The first sign of the perimenopause is usually, but not always, a change in the normal pattern of your periods, while mental health symptoms include changes to your mood, anxiety and low self-esteem.
Common physical symptoms also include hot flushes, difficulty sleeping, palpitations, headaches and muscle aches.
There are many things that have helped Zoe feel better over the past few years.
1. Research
When Zoe was first diagnosed with early menopause, she was put onto HRT which she called a ‘lifesaver’.
But she has said there are some ‘really amazing options out there’ that women can explore.
“Lots of women fear taking hormone replacement therapy, HRT,” she told us.
“We were told there was a link to breast cancer, and actually that is not true. Women should not live without oestrogen in their body, so if you can take HRT, I would highly recommend doing it.”
She has now had the Mirena Coil fitted for progesterone, as well as Estradot 100 which are oestrogen patches that are changed every three to four days.
Zoe said that the process of finding out what works for her has been a ‘massive journey’, as she added: “I had to dig deep and figure out who I was again, and I guess learn to live with it.”
2. Being kind to yourself
Despite her suffering, Zoe has said she has learnt to ‘appreciate her body a bit more’ since her diagnosis.
“I was a lot kinder to my body after the diagnosis, I just go a lot easier on myself now,” she said.
“I'm such a perfectionist, and I always have to be very driven, very ambitious, exercising hard, playing hard, parenting hard.
“Now I'm just a bit easier on myself. If I'm tired at the end of the day, I just fall asleep, I don't try to do 100 tasks around the house. It's calmed me down a bit.”
3. Speaking to loved ones
When going through the menopause, Zoe has urged people to reach out to the people around them.
“I would say to the women reading this article, I really don't want you to suffer in silence,” she said.
“Speak to the people around you, speak to your partner, speak to your best friend, speak to your parents, whoever it is. Go and see your GP, keep knocking on the door.”
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