Michelle Obama<\/strong>\u2019s candid speak about her own menopause symptoms \u2014 including hot flashes that began in her 30s \u2014 has readers asking what perimenopause actually looks like and whether hormone therapy works. Here\u2019s what the previous first lady shared and what health workers say.<\/p>\n On an August 2021 episode of her podcast titled \u201cWhat Your Mother Never Told You About Health with Dr. Sharon Malone,\u201d<\/a> Obama traced a part of her experience back to fertility treatments. \u201cI even have a really healthy baseline, and in addition, well, I used to be experiencing hormone shifts due to infertility, having to take shots and all that. I experienced the night sweats, even in my 30s, and while you consider the opposite symptoms that come along, just hot flashes, I mean, I had a couple of before I began taking hormones,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Obama also described a slow change in her body once perimenopause set in. \u201cI never used to weigh myself. I\u2019m not attempting to follow numbers, but while you\u2019re in menopause, you have got this slow creep that you just just don\u2019t realize,\u201d Obama told People<\/em><\/a> in November 2022. \u201cWe\u2019re all in menopause with stretchy [waist] bands and our athleisure wear on, and also you look up and you’ll be able to\u2019t fit the outfits you had last yr. I even have to be more mindful, not obsessive, but more mindful.\u201d<\/p>\n Along with the new flashes and night sweats, Obama said she experienced weight gain.<\/p>\n Obama recalled certainly one of her most vivid hot flashes happening aboard Marine One, the presidential helicopter.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember having one on Marine One. I\u2019m dressed, I want to get out, walk into an event, and, literally, it was like someone put a furnace in my core and turned it on high, after which all the pieces began melting. And I assumed, \u2018Well, that is crazy. I can\u2019t, I can\u2019t, I can\u2019t do that,\u2019\u201d she said on the podcast.<\/p>\n Michelle added that her husband, former President Barack Obama<\/strong>, was conversant in the experience due to number of ladies working in his administration. \u201cBarack was surrounded by women in his cabinet, many going through menopause, and he could see it, he could see it in someone, \u2018cause sweat would start pouring. And he\u2019s like, \u2018Well, what\u2019s occurring?\u2019 And it\u2019s like, \u2018No, that is just how we live,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cHe didn\u2019t collapse because he came upon there have been several women in his staff that were going through menopause. It was just type of like, \u2018Oh, well, turn the air conditioner on.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Michelle said she turned to hormone alternative therapy to administer her hot flashes after newer research suggested earlier warnings about hormones were incomplete.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve needed to work with hormones, and that\u2019s recent information that we\u2019re learning. Before there have been studies that said that hormones were bad. That\u2019s all we heard. Now we\u2019re checking out research is showing that those studies weren\u2019t fully complete and that there are advantages to hormone alternative therapy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n In response to the source material, as estrogen levels drop during menopause, the body\u2019s temperature-control system can grow to be more sensitive, triggering hot flashes. Hormone therapy helps balance hormone levels and reduce the frequency and intensity of those episodes.<\/p>\n Wen Shen<\/strong>, M.D., director of the Women\u2019s Wellness & Healthy Aging Program at Johns Hopkins and a Johns Hopkins<\/a> gynecologist specializing in perimenopause and menopause, cautioned that it isn\u2019t right for each patient. \u201cHormone therapy is an option for some women within the early stages of menopause or perimenopause to assist relieve moderate to severe symptoms. Hormone therapy can increase the danger of certain health issues, and might not be suitable for everybody. The choice to begin using these hormones must be made only after you and your clinician have evaluated your risk versus profit ratio,\u201d Shen said.<\/p>\n Hot flashes are one of the crucial common menopause symptoms, affecting as much as 80 percent of ladies and lasting a median of seven to 10 years, in keeping with The Menopause Society<\/a>. \u201cThey can also contribute to sleep and mood issues that may negatively affect quality of life,\u201d per the outlet notes.<\/p>\nWhat Menopause Symptoms Did Michelle Obama Experience?<\/h2>\n
Michelle Obama Had a Public Hot Flash on Marine One<\/h2>\n
Why Did Michelle Obama Turn to Hormone Alternative Therapy for Menopause Symptoms?<\/h2>\n
How Common Are Hot Flashes Amongst Menopause Symptoms?<\/h2>\n
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