On her Instagram account, Kim Clijsters, the former tennis champion, is very open about her perimenopause, this (sometimes long) period during which women’s bodies become infertile. “In my case, this has translated into hot flashes, a few extra pounds, not always feeling my best and seeing my cycle stop.” She also notices other changes: “These two hairs, on my chin… Every time I pluck them, two days later they’re back! And I have varicose veins.”
Kim Clijsters shares her story to help women who feel misunderstood. She herself waited before telling a friend. “I started to educate myself, listen to podcasts, what a relief! That’s when I realized: I was probably in the middle of it.”
“Age peacefully”
Despite the less pleasant sides, she remains positive. “Slightly older friends were already telling me in recent years: ‘You’ll see, when you’re 40, that’s when it starts. This is the beginning of decay.” Well, I’m excited to learn more about it, I hope I can age peacefully. »
She is not the only Flemish celebrity to speak frankly about her journey through (peri)menopause: Don’t look for me, launched Evi Hanssen, 45-year-old presenter, author and actress, at the start of the year on social networks. “The cycle can become irregular, and we suffer from vague symptoms such as dark thoughts, sleep problems or joint pain. Because they are still menstruating, many women do not make the connection with menopause. Or they are not yet ready to open their eyes. »
For her part, Katja Retsin, also a presenter and author, created a podcast on the subject. As for Gwendolyn Rutten, former president of the Open VLD, she spoke very openly about the day she started crying like a Madeleine in her car: “Not from sorrow, but from happiness. Because, for the first time in a year, I was certain that I wasn’t going crazy, she explains. I had just been diagnosed: it was menopause. »
A mixture of fear and shame
Leen Steyaert, menopause consultant, is delighted that celebrities are speaking out in this way. “I take my hat off to them! she says. These women are in the spotlight, and by speaking out, they show that this is a normal and natural phenomenon. »
Leen Steyaert has been trying to break the taboo around this subject for 15 years. “This is a difficult time for many women. They often feel shame. They associate menopause with no longer being attractive, no longer being sexual. They fight against this feeling of injustice, because they want to stay strong. Women are eager to please, they don’t want to disappoint anyone. »
Fear is also present: “They don’t know what’s happening to their bodies. Like the symptoms mentioned by Kim Clijsters: these varicose veins, these hairs. Lack of knowledge of our own body causes anxiety. The more we talk about it, the better. »
