21 May 2023 , 05:33
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Lisa Snowdon says menopause left her feeling so defeated she contemplated ending her own life when she hit rock bottom.
The 51-year-old presenter says all aspects of her life were impacted by the natural condition - from her work to her romantic life.
She says she struggled to focus at work as menopause symptoms including night sweats and hot flushes kept her awake at night leading her to feel sluggish and distracted in the daytime.
And she suffered a further blow when doctors told her she would not be able to have a baby - having previously undergone an abortion in her 20s and suffered a devastating miscarriage in her early 40s.
Lisa Snowdon has discussed her debilitating menopause symptoms (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Opening up to Fabulous magazine, Lisa explained that she hit a low point when her symptoms caused havoc with her life - leaving her to think the worst.
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She explained: “I had days so dark that I thought: ‘If this is what my life looks like, then I can’t do it,’” she says, her voice faltering, speaking for the first time about how bad things got.
“I know a lot of women get to that stage where they feel they don’t want to be here any longer and, yes, there were definitely times where I was like: ‘I don’t think I can do this anymore’. I was just floored with overwhelming sadness and these dark moods.”
She added: “It’s taken the last 10 years to get a handle on what was happening to me. I went to rock bottom, but coming out the other side feels like a really powerful place to be.”
The TV star hopes speaking out about her menopause experience will help others seek treatment (lisa_snowdon/Instagram)It was also following menopause that Lisa realised she would never become a biological mother.
She had made the difficult decision to have an abortion in her 20s as she was in a relationship she knew wouldn’t last, and when she conceived a ‘miracle baby’ in her 40s, she was devastated when she suffered a miscarriage.
She had also considered IVF, but had been told the odds were stacked against her - and when doctors told her that the menopause had ended her reproductive abilities, she found herself pining for the child she knew she could never have.
She said: “All my life, I thought I was going to be a mum. I didn’t have any burning ambition to have a career, but I’ve always been maternal and I really wanted kids. But I just ran out of time, unfortunately. The decision was taken away from me.”
Lisa has been engaged to boyfriend George Smart since 2017 and says he stood by her when she was experiencing perimenopause symptoms.
They had first had a romance back when they both worked for MTV but then went their separate ways, only to meet again by chance in 2016 and embark on a romance that has lasted.
Lisa has been engaged to George Smart since 2017 (OK!)Lisa said it wasn’t until the second lockdown of 2020 that she consulted a menopause specialist and was administered HRT that helped ease hot flushes and night sweats and gave her more energy.
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She told the magazine that she hopes speaking out about menopause will help others identify symptoms and know that they too can get help to manage the symptoms.