Twinkle Khanna is renowned for her witty writing, but she is also famous for speaking her mind. She does not shy away from talking about her vulnerabilities and taboo subjects like menopause.
For those who are unaware, menopause is the phase when your hormones go haywire and your menstruation stops. While the latter part of the previous statement sounds awesome, arriving at that stop is no easy ride. It often happens at the age of 45 to 55 (can be early for some), and the phase is a roller coaster ride through sleep disturbances, mood swings, and hot flashes.
In her recent column for The Times of India, the author and actor opened up about the struggles of going through menopause. She titled it, Dard-e-Disco And The New Menopause Remix.
"I always thought turning fifty meant finding your true self. Instead, it's losing hormones. And looking for your reading glasses. In the dark. At 3 am. This was supposed to be the time when the children leave home. But it is my hormones that seem to have packed their bags and set off for an unknown continent while I am left behind peering through cold glass windows at a starlit sky," the actor wrote in her column.
Twinkle Khanna Talks About Struggles During Menopause
In the column, the host of Two Much With Kajol And Twinkle talked about how menopause makes the life of a menstruator tough. "I am tired and energised, alert and foggy, overheated and clammy," she wrote.
She equated menopause with a burglar who not only opens the safe but also runs away with your valuables. "Along with hot flushes, night sweats, eroding bone mass, thinning skin, and a new chin hair, I have also developed sound sensitivity - to high-pitched sounds and to the tide's rumbling waves," read an excerpt from her column.
She added that she envies men who don't have to suffer from hormonal imbalances like women. "I forget names - people, movies, books, only to have them return the next day like they had gone on an overnight camping trip," she added.
Twinkle also mentioned that she once started crying while taking a walk in her garden with her husband, Akshay Kumar, and her dog. She shared that she always had a metaphor ready, but that day she could only mutter up "I don't know," before breaking down.
Twinkle Khanna Has Started Weight-Lifting After 20 Years
"I am, by nature, a fixer. In another life, I would be working for a cartel, disposing of bodies with brisk efficiency. Now the only body I must fix is mine," wrote Khanna in the column, adding that she has started weight lifting after almost 20 years.
"I squat, I lunge, I do pelvic floor exercises while working on my book. I take magnesium glycinate, ashwagandha, Lion's mane, Brahmi and yes - primrose oil," the author shared.
She also mentioned that she now eats toasted sandwiches for lunch and dinner and experiences fewer cravings for her favourites, including soya chaklis, banana chips, and peanut chikki. Now she savours Tadgola ice cream once every two weeks with her daughter Nitara.
If you are also going through menopause, you will find Twinkle Khanna's write-up not only relatable, but you will also want to take a page out of her book (not quite literally).