Former Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer has opened up about being diagnosed with perimenopause in a heartfelt TikTok video shared on Monday.
The 36-year-old actress, who starred in the beloved children's series from 2002 to 2005, discussed the impact the condition has had on her health.
Dani, who has reprised her role in multiple spin-offs, revealed that perimenopause has taken a significant toll on her hair.
“I have been diagnosed with perimenopause. And what I need your help with is my hair,” Dani shared. “I am losing it, like it is thinning so badly, you can see the bald patches coming in, but just like the texture. It’s thinning – it’s bad, right?”
Admitting she has been feeling quite down about her hair loss, Dani questioned whether she should try hair extensions but expressed concern they might make her hair worse.
“It could be a terrible idea, it might make my hair even worse to be honest, but it's really getting me down now!” she said.
Dani also discussed how she came to her diagnosis, revealing that it was her husband, Simon, who first noticed a drastic change in her personality.
“My whole personality had pretty much changed,” she explained.
As her symptoms, which included increased anxiety and depression, brain fog, night sweats, and sleep disturbances, became harder to ignore, Dani visited her GP.
“It got too much to ignore,” she admitted. “I felt like I was being possessed by someone else, it was horrible – I was just getting deeper and deeper into a dark depression.”
She added that her doctor quickly diagnosed her and ran blood tests to rule out other conditions.
What is perimenopause
Perimenopause is when you have symptoms of menopause but your periods have not stopped.
They might be more irregular and become heavier or lighter. For some women, they can stop suddenly.
Perimenopause ends and you reach menopause when you have not had a period for 12 months.
It usually begins in a woman's 40s, but can start earlier, mid-30s, for some.
Menopause and perimenopause can cause symptoms like anxiety, mood swings, brain fog, hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbances and irregular periods.
These symptoms can start years before your periods stop and carry on afterwards.
“I’m really glad that I went and got help. My doctor was more than happy to put me on HRT,” Dani shared.
She has been on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for around 18 months and now “feels like [herself] again,” even losing the weight she gained during lockdown.
However, Dani explained that the only lasting side effect she is experiencing is hair loss, along with occasional hot flashes.
“I’m definitely no expert at all! But if anyone has any questions, I’ll try and answer using my experiences,” she added, offering to share her journey with fans.
Supportive fans flooded the comments, expressing how “proud” they were of Dani for sharing her struggles openly.
