Now 61, Liz, who co-founded the Liz Earle Beauty Company in 1995, believes the importance of taking hormones to protect against bone conditions like osteoporosis is underestimated.
An ambassador for the Royal Osteoporosis Society, she has written more than 35 books on nutritional, hormonal and gut health.
She said: “I started to experience painful bones and joint aches in my forties during perimenopause. I didn’t realise this was due to losing oestrogen -–and my doctors didn’t recognise it as so few are properly trained in even common menopause symptoms.
“Starting hormone replacement therapy at 51 was a turning point for me.
“Now, in my sixties, I remain pain free and more active than I’ve ever been in my life.
“Too many mid-life women in my well-being community are unaware of the role our natural hormones play in protecting bone health – and how our bones are adversely impacted when we lose oestrogen.
“Alongside all the many other symptom cures, greater awareness of just how much replacement hormones can help prevent osteoporosis needs to be much more of a priority.”
Osteoporosis is a condition which sees the holes in bones’ honeycomb structure increase, with the bones becoming less dense. Eventually the inner structure begins to break down and get weaker.
During the menopause the body’s process of bone repair is disrupted by a drop in oestrogen, which means bone loss is particularly fast in those years.
HRT medication is used to help manage symptoms of the menopause, and can help prevent osteoporosis in the years around the menopause.
Liz said: “Look after your bones so they will look after you. Prioritise weight-bearing exercise by getting into the habit of lifting weights early on in life.
“Check out the best sources of calcium and vitamin D and add these into your daily diet – and keep an eye on fluctuating hormones when you hit mid-life.”
Despite osteoporosis affecting half of women over 50 and one in five men, two-thirds of the 3.5 million affected are missing out on medication because of poor diagnostics.
The Sunday Express Better Bones campaign, in conjunction with the ROS, last year called for an end to a postcode lottery in England for specialist bone clinics, called Fracture Liaison Services.
Health Minister Wes Streeting has pledged to roll out these clinics to every part of England by 2030. Research suggests this would prevent 74,000 fractures over five years through early diagnosis and treatment. Our latest campaign, Better Bones for Life, aims to encourage 100,000 people to check their chances of getting the condition with the ROS’s online risk checker.
Liz said: “Bones are fundamental for overall health, mobility and strength – so checking your risk of bone damage is vital. Osteoporosis is such an invisible condition – it’s all too easy to overlook as we can’t see inside our bodies.
“But as a mid-life woman who writes about how to age well, preventing osteoporosis, a leading cause of death for women, is key when it comes to healthy longevity.”
● For information on bone- strengthening exercises and to check your risk visit theros.org.uk
● A Better Second Half by Liz Earle (Hodder & Stoughton, £22). Order a copy now from expressbookshop.com or call 020 3176 3832. Free UK P&P on online orders over £25.