Twinkle Khanna on struggling with menopause at 51: I am tired, overheated while my husband sleeps through demolitions

In her latest column, Twinkle Khanna shares her experiences with menopause, including symptoms like hot flashes and sound sensitivity, and her new envy of men.

Actor-turned-author Twinkle Khanna recently opened up about her struggles with menopause in her latest November 8 column for The Times of India. Twinkle, aka Mrs Funnybones, who is married to actor Akshay Kumar, revealed that she always thought that turning fifty would mean finding her true self. Instead, it’s ‘losing hormones.’

The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes menopause, for most women, as a phenomenon marked by the end of monthly menstruation due to loss of ovarian follicular function, which means that the ovaries stop releasing eggs for fertilisation. During this time, women have to deal with hot flashes, night sweats, irregular periods, and sleep disturbances.

Twinkle Khanna opens up about her menopause struggles

Twinkle revealed that she is also dealing with such symptoms, and more. Dramatically comparing menopause with a ‘burglar who doesn’t just open your safe and escape with your valuables, it rearranges the furniture to its liking before making its leisurely departure’, she confessed that she has, “Hot flushes, night sweats, eroding bone mass, thinning skin, and a new chin hair”

Additionally, she has also developed sound sensitivity to high-pitched sounds. Moreover, now she envies men for the first time in her life.

An excerpt from her column further read, “My husband sleeps through building demolitions, barking dogs and even the firecrackers that went off all night on the beach during Chhath Puja…I envy men. Their hormones never desert them, while ours scatter like IIT graduates migrating to Silicon Valley.”

‘My body and I were a team…’

Furthermore, she is not dealing with problems like forgetfulness, being emotional for no clear reason, and feeling angry. “My body and I were a team. Now it’s busy performing unwanted tasks and refusing to do the basics…I don’t need to do cardio to sweat. I don’t need provocation to feel angry,” she lamented.

Twinkle also criticised the taboo around menopause and how it is still being talked about in hushed tones.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.