Tracy Beaker's Dani Harmer shares symptoms after diagnosis at 36

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

The Tracy Beaker star has been open with fans about her diagnosis, hoping it will help others spot the signs too
A popular children's TV star has shared her struggles with perimenopause. Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer has urged other women to get checked by a doctor if they're experiencing any symptoms.
Famed for her role in the CBBC adaptation of the popular books by Jacqueline Wilson, Dani Harmer started her own TikTok profile, which hit fans of the show with a wave of nostalgia. People felt very old seeing that 'Tracy Beaker' is now a 36-year-old mum with two young kids of her own.
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Dani recently spoke on ITV's This Morning with Ben Shepherd and Cat Deeley alongside resident GP Dr Zoe about an ongoing health issue that may not be so obvious to fans. The TV and theatre actress used her newfound platform to talk about her experience with early or premature menopause.
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In a TikTok, 36-year-old Dani shared how she had been diagnosed with perimenopause. This can lead to other issues with your physical and mental health, as well as finding it harder to get pregnant.
According to the NHS, women who enter menopause before the age of 45 are considered to have started early. The health service explained on its website that: "Menopause is when your periods stop due to lower hormone levels. It usually affects women between the ages of 45 and 55, but it can affect anyone who has periods.
"The main symptom of early or premature menopause is not having your period regularly or your periods stopping completely before the age of 45." The website lists a few more red flags that women may want to look out for, such as:
hot flushes and night sweats
vaginal dryness
difficulty sleeping
low mood or anxiety
reduced sex drive
problems with memory or concentration
Dani said that her partner Simon had noticed her "whole personality had pretty much changed" and added that she herself "knew something was off" and there was "too much to ignore". She was diagnosed with perimenopause, crediting her good medical experience largely down to the fact she had a female GP.
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One symptom that Dani talked about online and on the ITV daytime show was hair loss. The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant talked about how her hair was "thinning badly" and shared photos of it originally falling out in clumps.
According to Flo, a popular female health app specifically for tracking periods and ovulation, claimed that perimenopause can cause hair thinning due to fluctuating hormone levels.
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One of their experts said: "Before perimenopause, your levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone rise and fall in a continuous cycle every month in preparation for a potential pregnancy. But when perimenopause kicks in, these hormones start to change, fluctuating to high and low levels, which can trigger hair loss.
"Estrogen is obviously important in your menstrual cycle, but it also promotes hair growth. So when estrogen levels start to drop, this can interrupt your hair cycle and make it look and feel thinner, too."
The main treatments for early or premature menopause are medicines such as the combined contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to replace the hormones that are at low levels. The NHS adds that: "You can also try making lifestyle changes to help manage your symptoms and stay healthy, such as exercising regularly and eating calcium-rich food like yoghurts."
If you're finding early or premature menopause difficult and it's affecting your mental health, help and support is available. You can get NHS talking therapies without seeing a GP first.