Karin Adelsköld developed an addiction during menopause

Several famous women have talked about the menopause recently, including Naomi Watts, Michelle Obama and Halle Berry.

– It was a shock. I had in the back of my mind that my mother was early, but I didn’t know what that meant. I didn’t know you could be pre-menopausal for eight years. I felt very isolated, Naomi Watts has said.

75 percent of all women experience some type of menopause discomfort, yet many do not know why they are not feeling well.

One of these was Karin Adelsköld, who herself did not understand that she was in menopause until right at the end.

– I thought I was mentally ill because I didn’t recognize myself, she says in Efter fem.

“Self-medicated with red wine”

The comedian went to several doctors but no one told her what had hit her. Instead, she was prescribed antidepressants for her condition.

– They said I stressed too much and quite a few people hear that, she says.

For Karin Adelsköld, it eventually went so far that she developed an alcohol addiction. The fact is that you are extra sensitive to alcohol, both psychologically and physically, when you are in menopause.

– When I couldn’t come to terms with my mental health, I finally started self-medicating with red wine, says the comedian.

“Women end up between the seats”

1 in 5 do not talk to anyone about their menopausal symptoms. General practitioner Naomi Flamholc specializes in menopause symptoms in particular, and she testifies that many women suffer from the large gaps in knowledge that exist in care.

– Women end up between the chairs between gynecology and primary care. Primary care is often overloaded and doesn’t have much knowledge, and gynecology doesn’t have time, she says.

Some of the most common and well-known symptoms include hot flushes, sweating and palpitations. Something few people know about, however, is that it can lead to major psychological changes that can affect the woman and also her family and workplace.

Karin Adelsköld believes that it would have been easier if she had been told why she felt changed and felt so bad.

– Mentally, it does a lot to just know that you are not crazy, she says.