The 65-year-old said she initially felt as if no one understood what she was going through.
Shirley Ballas has opened up about her experience of menopause, revealing that it left her in a very ‘dark place’. The Strictly star, 65, mentioned she initially lacked someone to confide in and felt completely misunderstood until a major wake-up call.
Speaking on ITV’s This Morning just yesterday, she said: “[It impacted me] terribly. Terribly, and no one to talk about it with. Eventually, I talked to my son because I really felt in a dark place.
“But my mother sailed through the menopause, and it wasn’t something from that era that they really talked about. But I got myself living in America, I was away from my mum at the time.”
Menopause occurs when your menstrual periods cease as a result of declining hormone levels. According to the NHS, it typically affects women aged 45 to 55, although it can occur earlier.
Some women may not experience menopause, while others may experience a range of physical and mental health issues. Increased anxiety, brain fog, hot flushes, sleep issues, heart palpitations, and other symptoms are a few examples.
She claimed that menopause caused her to feel “absolutely down and out,” which ultimately impacted her teaching career. A young man pulled her aside, completely altering her viewpoint, at the turning point.
No one seemed to understand me, to be honest. My teaching of “Shirley continued” was affected. Every day, I would go to work, and I learned a little more about everyone.
I was turned away when a lovely young man named Wrangel said, “I don’t know what is going on in your life, but this isn’t the teacher we are used to.”
That was a wake-up call, they said. Then, after speaking with my son, he had a doctor, and I began taking bioidentical hormones, and my life completely changed.
Bioidentical hormones are synthetic synthetic substances that are frequently derived from plants. They are designed to be used by the body similarly to natural hormones, which are particularly beneficial for those who experience hormonal imbalances.
Within the NHS, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is regulated to provide bioidentical hormones. These are structurally different from compounded bioidentical hormones, which are occasionally provided in private clinics but are not offered through the NHS. This is primarily due to the lack of clarity regarding their effectiveness or safety.
Cat Deely, a presenter on This Morning, also posed the question, “And it literally pulled you out of that darkness,” Shirley continued. Shirley responded, “Just to get my body balanced,” to this.
“So my body was severely imbalanced. And I now perform that annual check. I regularly check my hormone levels to make sure everything is working and functioning, even at the age of 65.
Source: Mirror
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