Sarah Lancashire Opens Up About Her Challenging Menopause Journey

In a recent interview with the Mail on Sunday, actress Sarah Lancashire shared her experience of going through the “most terrible menopause.” The 58-year-old, who won Best Dramatic Performance and Special Recognition for her role in BBC crime drama Happy Valley at the National Television Awards, spoke candidly about the common symptoms she has been experiencing. From mental confusion to hot flashes, Sarah’s story sheds light on the challenges many women face during this phase of their lives.

The Symptoms Sarah Is Dealing With

Sarah Lancashire revealed that she has been struggling with several symptoms commonly associated with menopause. These symptoms include:

• Mental confusion
• Hot flashes
• Memory loss

In her interview, she shared an incident where she found herself standing in an aisle at Sainsbury’s and couldn’t remember why she was there. This experience of mental confusion is something many women can relate to.

Managing Menopause on the Red Carpet

Despite her menopausal symptoms, Sarah Lancashire attended the National Television Awards armed with two fans to cope with hot flashes. She jokingly shared that she had enlisted the help of a friend to alert her if the cameras were focused on her, so she could hide.

The Quest for the Right Treatment

Sarah also mentioned that she is currently taking Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), but she is uncertain if she has the right prescription. She shared her plans to try out different forms of HRT, such as patches, to find a treatment that works better for her.

Breaking the Silence on Menopause

Throughout her interview, Sarah Lancashire emphasized the importance of discussing menopause openly and breaking the silence surrounding this natural stage of a woman’s life. She believes that being in the public eye should not prevent individuals from speaking openly about their experiences, as it helps eliminate taboos and contributes to a greater understanding of menopause.

Expanding the Conversation: Menopause and Mental Health

Sarah has previously spoken about her battle with clinical depression, a condition she was diagnosed with at the age of 18. In light of her experiences with both depression and menopause, she highlights the need for mental health to be part of the menopause conversation. Menopause can exacerbate existing mental health conditions or even trigger symptoms in individuals who have never experienced mental health issues before.

Conclusion

By sharing her personal journey with menopause, Sarah Lancashire has opened up an important conversation about a topic that is often brushed under the rug. Her experiences highlight the challenges many women face during this transitional phase and the need for more awareness and support. It is crucial that symptoms like mental confusion, hot flashes, and memory loss are acknowledged and addressed so that women going through menopause feel understood and empowered to seek the right treatment. Together, we can break the stigma surrounding menopause and create a more supportive environment for women everywhere.

Sarah Lancashire has admitted she is going through the “most terrible menopause”.

The actress, 58, spoke with the mail on sunday backstage at the National Television Awards when she talked about some of the very common symptoms she’s been experiencing.

Sarah, who won Best Dramatic Performance and Special Recognition for her role in BBC crime drama Happy Valley, told the newspaper her life was plagued by incidents of mental confusion and hot flashes.

She said: ‘I’m having the most terrible menopause. I have mental confusion. I was in Sainsbury’s the other day and found myself standing in the aisle and couldn’t remember what I was there for.

‘It comes to you suddenly. I also don’t remember things that happened 30 years ago.’

The mother-of-three added that she had attended Sunday night’s ceremony at London’s O2 armed with two fans, which she had kept pointed “pretty much at my face the whole time.”

She said: “I brought one of my closest friends with me and his job was to keep an eye out for the cameras and if it looked like they were going to focus on us then he would let me know so I could hide.” them.’

Sarah added that she was taking HRT, but wasn’t sure she had the right prescription, saying: “I’m taking the gel, but it’s not good for me, so maybe I’ll try the patches next.”

Sarah previously spoke about being diagnosed with clinical depression when she was 18 and how she has “never woken up to the joys of spring.”

From 1991 to 1996 she was a regular on Coronation Street, playing ditzy waitress Raquel Wolfenhulme, but kept her illness a secret from show bosses. she told him Mirror: ‘I certainly didn’t tell anyone at the studios and I didn’t take any time off. She was terrified of being judged and misunderstood. I just fought.

“It was the worst thing I could have done. Being in the public eye makes you afraid to talk openly about things, which is exactly why you should. You can really make a difference and open up topics that are taboo.”