Lisa Snowdon reveals it took her almost six years until she realised she was perimenopausal (Image: LORNA ROACH PHOTOGRAPHY)Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxMore Newsletters SubscribePlease enter a valid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.More NewslettersWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More infoThank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow me See OurPrivacy Notice See OurPrivacy Notice×Group 28 Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxInvalid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.Sign UpNo thanks, closeWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info×Group 28Thank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow MeNo thanks, closeSee our
Privacy NoticeLisa Snowdon isn’t one for keeping quiet – and that’s especially true when it comes to talking about menopause. The broadcaster, 52, is super honest about her own journey. Her experience with perimenopause began in her early forties. “I felt anxious, had low moods, heart palpitations and panic attacks,” she tells us, “Things I’d never experienced.” She was even struck with vertigo, another lesser-known symptom. “I felt out of sorts and didn’t know why.” It took the former Capital Radio host nearly six years to get a diagnosis. “I didn’t know what perimenopause was. I had heard of menopause, but I thought it happened when you were much older,” she admits. Her initial visit to a GP, at 41, led to a misdiagnosis of depression and a prescription for antidepressants, which did nothing to address the real cause. “The GP didn’t mention perimenopause,” she says, “I burst into tears, I couldn’t get across how I was feeling.”
Lisa Snowdon has opened up about her menopause experience
(Image: Getty Images/Joe Maher)
It wasn’t until Lisa sought help from a private doctor that she learned she was perimenopausal. Even then, it took several attempts and thousands of pounds before she found the right treatment. Lisa’s frustration with the lack of understanding, even among healthcare professionals, spurred her to become a menopause advocate. “That’s why I’m so vocal,” she says. “You have to push back to get the help you need.” Lisa’s journey was a long and difficult one. “I didn’t want to go to work. I had so much anxiety that I didn’t want to drive anywhere new,” she says. At her lowest points, she turned down job opportunities. Sign up to OK!’s daily newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free
“I felt out of sorts and didn’t know why,” reveals Lisa
(Image: Instagram / Lisa Snowdon)
“When you look at your body in the mirror and you don’t recognise who you are, a feeling that you just want to crawl out of your own body,” she explains. “It was like PMS on steroids.” The turning point came when Lisa was prescribed HRT; an oestrogen spray that worked within weeks. “My hot flushes went, my night sweats went, the pains went, and I was able to go back to the gym,” she says.
Lisa says that she turned a corner when she was prescribed HRT
(Image: Instagram / Lisa Snowdon)
Lisa has learnt menopause doesn’t have to be scary, as long as you’re prepared. “It can happen much earlier than we think,” she says. “But menopause is not the end of your life – it’s the start of a beautiful new life.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnLisa SnowdonMenopauseHealth
