Gwyneth Paltrow has opened up about being in the "thick of perimenopause" after first noticing a "shift" in her body aged 45.

The actress and goop founder, now 51, told People magazine that her experience of what can be a years-long transition to menopause has been "quite a rollercoaster".

Linked to fluctuating hormone levels, perimenopause symptoms commonly include but are not limited to: irregular periods, hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, headaches, brain fog, vaginal dryness and insomnia.

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"I'm really in the thick of perimenopause, so it's quite a rollercoaster," she said. "My best advice is that every woman really needs to contemplate what is the right way for her [to approach it].

"For me, I've really been trying to focus on having a very well-functioning gut and liver so that these excess hormones can be flushed out of the body and cause less symptoms."

Gwyneth also mentioned the many "great options available" today, including HRT and supplements, before sharing her relief that menopause is far less of a taboo topic than it was for her mother's generation.

"I'm just glad everybody's talking about it because it used to be so full of shame and it's just another chapter for us," she said. "It's nothing to be hidden. I think it's great and I'm so happy that there's a community now."

The star first mentioned being in the early stages of perimenopause back in 2018, with a post on goop's Instagram account.

"I think when you get into perimenopause, you notice a lot of changes," she said at the time. "I can feel the hormonal changes happening: the sweating, the moods. You're just all of a sudden furious for no reason."

Gwyneth also voiced how determined she was to help change the narrative around menopause, declaring her view that it "needs a bit of a rebranding".

"I don't think we have in our society a great example of an aspirational menopause woman," she said five years ago. Now, she's clearly becoming just that.

For more advice on what to expect from menopause and perimenopause, and things you can try to ease symptoms, head to the NHS website.

From: Red Online