Former Olympic swimmer Dara Torres is getting candid about her menopause journey. During a BOOST Camp launch event interview in New York City, the four-time gold medal swimmer shared that menopause hormone therapy helped her with menopause symptoms like hot flashes and mood swings.
“I’ve learned a lot about it. For me, I feel like it’s normalized my hormones where I feel like I’m myself again,” Torres revealed to Flow Space. “Going through menopause, I just felt like I was someone else, and I didn’t like that. I didn’t like who it made me, and I didn’t like how it made me feel.”
Her story highlights the challenges many women face during perimenopause and menopause and underscores the importance of women having access to treatments and reliable guidance from health care providers. About 77 percent of women experience one or more menopause symptoms they describe as “very difficult,” according to one recent study. Yet, almost half of women have not approached their doctor for help or advice. What’s more, for the 30 percent who did confide in their doctors, they experienced delays in diagnosis and only 40 percent were offered hormone therapy, often considered the “gold standard” for treatment.
Torres’s positive experience with hormone therapy is a reminder that everyone needs to advocate for their health during perimenopause and beyond and push to get help for symptoms. When asked about her experience dealing with menopause, Torres didn’t sugarcoat it, admitting that she’s grown to “hate it,” but she’s also learned that “you can live with it.”
“For me I think the hardest thing was two things — the hot flashes which I was getting,” she explained. “When I got to twenty throughout the day, I stopped counting. So I was definitely getting over twenty. Then also, the mood swings. I felt bad for my poor daughter because sometimes I would take it out on her.”
Menopause marks the end of your menstrual cycles, officially diagnosed after a full year without periods. While perimenopause generally begins in your 40s or 50s, the average age that women reach menopause in the United States is around 51. Some of the most common symptoms are hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and mood swings.
Torres, who made history as the oldest swimmer to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team at 41, says she manages to find flow within her daily routine by working out and continuing to build strength. The Olympic swimmer recently partnered with BOOST Nutrition to launch BOOST® Camp — a program for people over 55 who are looking to explore exercise and nutrition that’s designed for their specific needs. While exercise has undoubtedly contributed to Torres’ journey towards healthy aging, her understanding of strength has evolved significantly.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that you just need to do what your body is capable of doing,” Torres explained. Reflecting on her Olympic training, she shared, “That’s what my philosophy was when I was training for the Olympics. During my first practices, I wanted to do two-a-day practices that the kids were doing and I was like, ‘I’m going to vomit, there’s no way I’m going to do two practices in one day.’ So I realized you really have to listen to your body as you go and do what’s best for you.”
She stressed stressed it’s important to keep your own individuality in mind. “Don’t compare yourself,” the former Olympian urged. “You know your body, you know what you’ve been through. Do what’s best for you.”