Mini Mathur opens up on menopause, says even doctors failed to diagnose her and told to have birth control

Mini Mathur shared her experience of hitting menopause, revealing how she would sweat profusely and feel lazy.

Popular Indian television host and actor Mini Mathur emerged as the winner of the reality show Alliance. As one of the country’s most popular former video jockeys and reality TV hosts, she has spent three decades of entertaining India. Last year, she became a certified women’s health coach focused on menopause. In a new chat with Hauterrfly on their latest episode on The Male Feminist, Mini spoke at length about her experience of hitting menopause and how difficult it was to get a proper diagnosis even when she consulted a gynecologist.

What did Mini say?

During the chat, Mini shared, “At night, I would feel as if someone lit a bonfire but I could not reach it to put it out. But every pore of my body would heat up. In my life I haven't sweated so much. I did not know where my anger was coming from, where my memory was going, why I was feeling less ambitious… I wondered what was happening to me, is it perimenopause? I started googling but it was conjecture. Nobody knew enough.”

‘I was told it is nothing, take birth control’

She added, “I went to the top gynecologist in the city, but like everyone, blindsided. I was told it is nothing, take birth control. I was shocked, should I take those chemical hormones? They said its natural, everyone faces this. I was done with the internet information I was receiving… our hormones fall from 500 to 5. Hormone Replacement Therapy has been kept away from us for years. I don't inject hormones, I only put a sticker patch on me every week. I have aced physical tasks in Alliance with the other male contestants because I have looked after myself, prioritised myself during menopause.”

More on menopause

Menopause is a natural part of ageing and, according to the Cleveland Clinic website, refers to a time when a person has gone 12 consecutive months without menstruating. It happens around the age of 52 when the ovaries stop producing reproductive hormones. Estrogen levels drop, and menstrual cycles come to a permanent end. In other words, periods stop completely.

From the stigma around discussing periods to the expectation of pushing through menopausal discomfort, women's health continues to be a subject of hush-hush conversation. Addressing this gap, Dr Jeremy London, a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon with over 25 years of experience, shared a health advisory in his April 27 Instagram post. Read more about it here.