Naomi Watts is getting candid about what it was like going through early menopause at 36, admitting that it left her “spiraling out of control.”

She admitted in an interview that “going through menopause at such a young age was not easy, especially at a time when there was very little information available.”

As a result of mood swings, night sweats, and migraines, I felt like I was spiraling out of control.

During menopause, women have missed 12 consecutive menstrual periods, according to the Mayo Clinic. A woman usually develops this condition when she is in her 40s or 50s, but the average age in the United States is 51.

In Watts’ words, “going through the journey led me to a deeper understanding of myself, and I came out of it feeling more authentically me. I gained a lot of freedom from self-awareness.”

She said, “I had those voices in the back of my mind reminding me how old women are put out to pasture, but there was a lure to this desire to be authentic, to crawl out of behind the invisible wall and just acknowledge for myself something that everyone could have probably guessed.”

She revealed that her experiences led her to partner with Menopause Mandate. According to its website, the organization “is dedicated to establishing a coalition of campaigners who aim to revolutionize the support and advice women receive from both our health service and wider society,” according to its mission statement.

As Watts explains, “I believe I would have had an easier transition if menopause wasn’t so taboo when I first began experiencing symptoms.” As Watts puts it, “I was part of a cycle that needed to be broken.”

She was inspired to “raise awareness and encourage more honest conversations” because “there were a lack of resources and open conversations.”