Jennie Garth Wants To 'Amplify' The Topic Of Menopause!
By Melanie VanDerveer on August 9, 2024 at 6:30 PM EDT
More and more women are opening up about perimenopause and menopause in the hopes of helping others going through the same struggles.
"Beverly Hills 90210" star Jennie Garth recently shared the menopause struggles she's dealing with to help open up the conversation for others a little more freely.
Jennie Garth Opened Up About Her Struggle: 'Menopause Is A Daily Minefield'
Menopause struggles don't discriminate. More recently, many celebrities have been opening up about what menopause is doing to their lives in the hopes of helping others feel less alone.
Garth recently took to Instagram to share what she's struggling with and many of her followers could relate.
"I'm going to be real honest with you. I've been struggling with working out recently. My travel and work schedule, my body pain, not to mention menopause is a daily minefield, both physically & mentally," she wrote in the caption of a video of her working out in the gym.
"Here's the deal...I stay motivated by FORCING myself to work out. I know I'll always feel better from doing it. But recently it just feels like my body is fighting against me at times. I forget that there's so much happening inside me, causing so many changes, that of course I'm not always gonna feel or be able to perform how I'd like to (or expect to)."
She continued to explain, "I have to remind myself to give myself some grace," and that she's doing the best she can. She then asked her followers how they find "working out challenging as we age" and how they deal with it.
Jennie Garth Asked For Tips From Her Instagram Followers
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Concluding her Instagram caption, Garth asked for "tips and tricks" that others have to share. Many followers flooded the comment section to say thank you for opening up this conversation and some shared their own stories.
"I’m right with you! Honestly, it’s a moment-by-moment thing at this point to keep moving/Body hurts, mind is in a fog, mood is a roller coaster, memory terrible, motivation/momentum is a real struggle. Who is this person!? I truly long to feel myself again. This is exhausting. Wishing us strength. Love to all," one person shared.
Another added, "I have to work out in the morning or I won't do it. Also low impact workouts are great! I feel like you get just as good of a workout without jumping around. Also strength training is key as we age and go through menopause. I'm right there with you Jennie. I admire your dedication."
One other viewer explained that she needed this post.
"Needed to hear this. Almost 49, work my a-- off, mindful of what I eat. Stronger and healthier than I have been in years and I don't feel it or look it. I can say confidently I am strong but my body does not match the level of exercising and eating I do."
Having A 'Deep Discussion About Menopause'
Garth also shared a clip from a recent "I Choose Me with Jennie Garth" podcast talking about the brain fog that menopause can cause.
"I feel like brain fog is another silent struggle that people don't understand," Garth said to Dr. Mary Claire Haver. "It happens to me at least three times a day where I walk into a room and I have no idea why I'm there. That's brain fog."
Haver jumped in to talk more about the unfortunate symptom of menopause.
"Or you can't find a word or you can't remember a name," she said. "These things, they'll happen to us from time to time but when it becomes a pattern and all of a sudden you're questioning your judgment. One in five women are quitting their jobs at our age because of this because it's so bad."
Many Women Said They 'Love' That Menopause Is Getting Talked About More!
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Many comments on the podcast clip were thanking Garth for opening up the conversation and getting others talking, and some even shared their own personal stories with brain fog and other menopause symptoms.
"I saw a neurologist and did a bunch of cognitive testing, had imaging done, when all I needed was some estrogen. Not one of those docs ever said a word about hormones. I thought I was in early-onset Alzheimer’s or something," one viewer shared in the comment section.
Another viewer said, "I absolutely love your podcast and I’m learning new things at every episode...but this one thank you. OMG, I’m not going crazy! Feels good to not be alone. Jennie, you’re the best."
One viewer shared that she in fact ended up quitting her job because of brain fog.
"Oh my goodness. I quit my job 3 years into menopause and felt like I was totally giving up. It was entirely too much stress. I had no idea I wasn’t the only one. If I had known that HRT was actually something I could use to relieve my stress I’d still be working that job today."
Other Celebrities Have Also Recently Opened Up About Menopause
Other women in the public eye have also recently started talking more openly and loudly about the topic of menopause and perimenopause. Halle Berry, Drew Barrymore, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Gabrielle Union have all shared their menopause struggles in the hopes of helping others who are also going through the same things.
Union shared what she's been going through while on an episode of "The Drew Barrymore Show" in late 2023, which in turn had Barrymore also sharing her story.
Union said that at age 37, something wasn't feeling right and her doctor told her it was due to perimenopause.
"All of these things, it's like, no one talks about it. They'd rather just say that you're crazy, or you're bitter or you're a B," Union said. "And you're like, I'm a human being and something is going on, and we need to all be very cognizant about that and compassionate with ourselves."
Barrymore then jumped in to share a recent experience she had.
"I took a walk in the park this morning because I was just struggling so much when I woke up," Barrymore said. "You just go through an emotional roller coaster, and you don't know what's happening and there aren't indicators there to help it make sense to you so you just do whatever it is you can to be calmer so that you will be better for yourself as well as those around you."