The 13 symptoms of perimenopause after Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer reveals diagnosis aged 36
FORMER child star Dani Harmer has revealed she has been diagnosed with perimenopause — a condition many don't expect at her age.
The 36-year-old, best known for playing
4
Former TV star Dani Harmer opens up about perimenopause diagnosis on TikTok
Credit: tiktok/@dani.harmer6
4
Dani is famous for her lead role as Tracey Beaker in the CBBC series, The Story of Tracy Beaker
Credit: CBBC
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'It's thinning so badly, you can see bald patches coming in," Dani said in a TikTok video shared with fans today (May 26).
"The texture is changing, it's bad right now," she added.
The
It usually starts several years before a woman reaches her menopause, which officially begins when you haven't had a period for 12 months.
Read more on perimenopause
It is during perimenopause, when oestrogen and progesterone
levels begin to fluctuate
.
This
is when it's common to experience difficult symptoms like
It can also lead to hair thinning and loss as hormone levels affect the hair growth cycle.
The condition usually affects women in their 40s but can sometimes begin in the 30s - as in Dani's case. It's less common but not unusual.
Most read in Health
Mentally, Dani has also suffered. 'My whole personality had pretty much changed,' she revealed, adding that her husband Simon was the first to notice.
She has experienced brain fog, night sweats, sleep interruptions, depression, and anxiety.
Specific types of HRT found to raise risk of heart disease and blood clots
After visiting a female GP and having blood tests, she was 'diagnosed pretty swiftly.'
'I felt like I was being possessed by someone else," she said.
Studies suggest women are 40 per cent more likely to experience depression during the perimenopause, something which the TV star experienced acutely.
"It was horrible," she said.
"I was just getting deeper and deeper into a dark depression.'
Dani was prescribed hormone replacement therapy (
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Dani has suffered hair loss and depression as a result of the condition
Credit: Getty
It's usually prescribed to women to help balance hormone levels and relieve common symptoms.
Dani has been on HRT for around 18 months and said she 'feels like myself again.'
When does perimenopause start?
The perimenopause is a natural stage of life.
In most people it will happen naturally between the ages of 45 and 55 and last for a few months to several years. It can even last a decade or more.
During the perimenopause, your hormone levels change and your ovaries start to produce fewer eggs.
Once you haven't had a period for 12 months or more, you've officially reached the menopause.
Some people start experiencing the perimenopause before they are 40.
This can be as a result of medical treatments, such as surgery to remove the ovaries, but sometimes there's no cause.
If you think you're experiencing the perimenopause before you're 40 then you must speak to your doctor.
Source: Bupa
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