Introduction to Menopause
Anthea Turner went to the GP for the first time in 2012 when she started having symptoms she couldn’t describe. The hardest thing for her back then was actually explaining herself. When she set out, the conversation was just missing. You could find something if you really looked – but no one really wanted to talk about menopause because it was this terrible admission as a woman that you’re getting old – and God forbid we want to admit it!
The Journey Begins
The broadcaster, now 65, sat in her local surgery and “sniffled” about her symptoms as she went home with a prescription for sedatives. He said, ‘I’m going to prescribe you sedatives.’ Before she even took one, she thought: No, no, this must be wrong – and of course she went on her own journey. This journey was anything but easy. Turner describes her perimenopause as colliding with one of the most turbulent periods of her life.
Personal Struggles
She had begun to have problems in her marriage to her then-husband, who had just filed for bankruptcy in 2010. My ex-husband’s business was going downhill. She rolled up her sleeves and did what all women do: ‘I’m going to work my way out of it.’ She was literally commuting back and forth to Canada, filming and coming home, and somewhere in the middle of all this hustle and bustle, she also experienced menopause. Those were difficult times, she says, menopause doesn’t come at a good time in your life.
Loss of Confidence
She even wrote a letter to her husband to explain what she was going through. I tried to put into words what happened to me, but then of course she found out later that he was having an affair and wasn’t interested in his sweaty wife. Your confidence takes a hit – and confidence is the key to life. When you start to lose it, you start a downward spiral. However, recognizing a loss of confidence was one of the most important things Turner did, and menopause was ultimately transformative.
Finding Confidence Again
It’s probably the best wake-up call you’ll ever have to take control, she says. Up until then, we were partying, we were eating whatever we wanted, we weren’t really thinking about our health because we didn’t need to. Then there comes the point where you have a big night out and it takes three days to get over it. She admits her solution was to focus on vanity. How was she going to get her confidence back? She wanted to use vanity and self-preservation.
Diet and Nutrition
Turner’s reboot began with her diet. I avoid processed foods and sugar, she says. Now she sticks to the 80:20 rule – 80 percent of things are good and 20 percent she can have the croissant. She applies it to food, clothing, exercise, everything. It’s her simplest rule and she swears by it. The cleaner you eat, the less complicated it becomes. If you have to put on your glasses to read the ingredients on the back of a package, that’s probably not a good thing.
Hair and Beauty
The catalyst for her diet change was the visible difference she began to see in her hair. Once her trademark, it began to break off. My hairdresser accused me of cutting it myself, she says. I said: No, I didn’t! He said: Well, everything in the back is broken. It’s a familiar story for many women going through hormonal changes, as declining estrogen levels can cause hair to become thinner, drier, and more brittle. When she cut the sugar, that tanker truck started turning slowly, she says. She didn’t change her hair care routine – it was beauty from within.
Skin Care and Exercise
The same logic applies to skin care. In the first five years after menopause, collagen production decreases by 30 percent. She’s learned that postmenopausal skin needs more moisture and less harsh products, and explains that ingredients like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, peptides, and niacinamide really help. Exercise did its part – but she gave up the stressful routines. You don’t have to do a HIIT workout, she says, just gradually—food, exercise, sleep—start ticking those things off.
Aesthetic Improvements
She admits that she’s not afraid to make a few aesthetic improvements. I haven’t frowned since I was 40 – to be honest, I’ve had to do it many times, she laughs, referring to Botox injections, but she can’t always look as angry as she feels. I just have a little bit of filler in the apples [of my cheeks]. Then she does all the facial exercises and she has this [LED] mask and she loves it but she doesn’t know how much it works. She just always tries to keep the balance.
Conclusion
For Turner, menopause was less an end and more a recalibration. First of all, you have to admit that things change, she says, you may not want another baby, but when those doors close, it affects you mentally. But once you accept it, there is freedom. You will speak with greater confidence because you have more air miles behind you than in front of you. And now, in her 60s, she’s busier than ever and surprisingly optimistic. I’m in a business where you’re not supposed to work after 40, but I’m working now because “at my age, not in spite of it,” she says. It turns out that for Turner, menopause wasn’t the end of anything but a new beginning: "the best wake-up call she’s ever had."
