Tina Arena, the tiny songstress we all remember from Young Talent Time, has revealed the tough time she had while going through menopause at just 46.
The singer, who turns 50 in November, said she hadn’t been prepared for menopause, which started just after she finished performing on Channel 7’s Dancing With the Stars in 2013, and that it was a turning point in her life.
“When you go through menopause you realise the reproduction is over, that’s it, the machine’s broken down. Then you have that reality ‘Oh, I can no longer produce’. That was confronting,” Arena recalled.
She said she did use any medical assistance to get through the change, although she respected other women’s choice to seek help.
“I just chose to go ‘Nup, I’m going to ride the sweats through, I’m going to ride when I don’t want to see anybody through’,” she said. “It’s character building. I don’t want to take medication to help me through. I don’t know the side effects.”
According to Victoria’s Better Health site, the average age at which women reach menopause is 51, although it’s normal for it to occur at any age between 45 and 55. Menopause before age 42 is considered ‘early’, while some women can continue to suffer menopausal symptoms into their 70s and even their 80s.
Menopause happens when production of oestrogen and progesterone by the ovaries slows down, until this causes menstruation to cease entirely.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) – the artificial supply of oestrogen and/or progesterone to the body – can be used to manage some of the symptoms of menopause, which include hot flushes, night sweats, headaches, tiredness and difficulty sleeping.
But many women are reluctant to use HRT because since at least 2002 research has linked it with an higher risk of breast cancer, with the length of the use of HRT increasing the risk.
Michael Gannon, the president of the Australian Medical Association, spoke to News Corp about Arena’s story. He told the news outlet that most women were able to deal with the symptoms of menopause without requiring HRT, but that they should not be scared of seeking their doctor’s help if necessary.
“It’s a shame that more Australian women don’t enjoy the benefits of short-term prescription oestrogen,” he said.
Arena’s comments were made as part of her interview on Anh’s Brush with Fame, which will air on the ABC on Wednesday at 8pm AEST. The show’s promotional blurb says Arena, who joined YTT at just nine and remains one of Australia’s all-time highest-selling female artists, will share her journey from “child star to international success” with host Anh Do.