Michelle Obama Dishes About Her Experience with Menopause

The former First Lady Michelle Obama, 58, shares her menopause experience with PEOPLE Magazne in hopes of getting women talking about this often-neglected phase of women’s health. Menopause is something every woman faces at one time or another. And yet, many are reluctant or ashamed to talk openly about it and share their experiences.

“There’s a lot we don’t know,” Obama, 58, said in an interview previewing her upcoming new book The Light We Carry, on sale Nov. 15. “There is not a lot of conversation about menopause. I’m going through it, and I know all of my friends are going through it. And the information is sparse.” 

“I find that when we get together and we’re moving and we’re laughing, then we spend a little time talking about what we’re going through. ‘What’s a hot flash?’ We have girlfriends around the table who are OBGYNs, who have real information. All of that keeps us lifted up.”

According to PEOPLE, Mrs. Obama’s workouts have undergone some adjustments. Obama’s workouts have changed. “Some of it is menopause, some of it is aging,” she says. “I find that I cannot push myself as hard as I used to. That doesn’t work out for me. That when I tear a muscle or pull something and then I’m out. The recovery time is not the same.”

Read the full interview here in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. 

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