Lauren Hutton Lauren Hutton is the most photographed woman in the world. She was the world's first supermodel and is a super role model for women entering menopause. Having appeared in more than 30 films and graced the covers of even more magazines, Lauren's career is still going strong at age 58. In her leisure time, she enjoys scuba diving, mountain climbing, and dog-sled racing. Lauren's latest project is the creation of "Good Stuff", a makeup kit for mature women..

Menopause

Well, what can I tell you about menopause? I've been through it, 4,000 women a day go through it and when I entered menopause I was afraid of it. I felt the good times were behind me and I know there are women everywhere who feel the same way. And what I want to tell you from experience is that the best days of your life may be ahead of you.

Most women will spend one-third of their lives in menopause, and so far that third of my life has been filled with some of the best memories and times I've ever had.

I went through menopause early at age 46. It was ten years ago in the dead of winter and I was in a cab in New York. Then all of a sudden it was like this bomb went off in my body right in the back of the cab, in the middle of rush hour in Manhattan. And I had no idea what was happening to me.

Some of you may think that's odd but I was 46, I was young and healthy and I felt fabulous. And the thought of menopause was nowhere in my mind.

So I called up my friends and they all told me I was in menopause, and I couldn't believe it. So I went to the doctor I've had for 30 years and he told me the same thing, and he told me something else.

He said, "Lauren, if you don't take estrogen you're going to shrink, dry up and get old." And it took me an entire year, a few new wrinkles, an inch off my height and a lot of sleepless nights and shucking off clothes in the back of cabs in ice-cold weather before I actually took his advice and went on HRT.

Ten years later I can tell you that I've never felt better.

I attribute much of my health and vitality to HRT. I also attribute it to the wonderful care and attention I've received over the years from my doctor. His attention to my health and happiness has helped me significantly over the years and if you don't already have one, I encourage each of you to find your own Dr. Nash. He is truly a role model for the kind of doctor every woman wants caring for her.

I also believe women owe it to themselves to take an active interest in their health and to educate themselves about these issues so we can make informed decisions.

Over the next twenty years the number of older women is going to soar. And so will the number of women diagnosed with cancer, osteoporosis and heart disease. Women are at higher risk than men of developing these diseases, but most of us don't know that.

We must be responsible for educating ourselves so we do know that. And we must take a proactive interest in finding these things out and talking to our doctors. And if our doctors aren't talking to us first, we need to talk to them, or to find new doctors.

We owe it to ourselves to make our health and wellness a priority. So take control of your life and educate yourself, go to your doctor and take active steps to ensure a long, active and vital life.

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Created: 11/16/2000  -  Lauren Hutton