Tina Arena reveals she suffered a miscarriage and discusses menopause
Appearing on Anh’s Brush With Fame, Australian singer Tina Arena has revealed that she went into menopause at age 46 and has experienced miscarriages in the past.
The 50-year-old believes that despite advances in society, Australians still consider menopause a taboo subject. “Nobody talks about menopause, nobody prepares a woman for it, what it does to her body, what it can do to her relationship, everything,” she said on the show.
“Our mothers don’t really talk to us about it, but it is important. It’s a turning point in a woman’s life. A woman changes, her body stops producing oestrogen which has huge knock-on effects,” she continued.
Speaking on her own experience, Arena says, “I’ve had good days and I’ve had s*** days.”
The Chains singer, who is a mother to a 12-year-old boy said she miscarried while her partner was on a trip abroad. “I had miscarried one evening, my little boy witnessed me going through it. The morning after I dropped him off at creche and went to the hospital by myself. I’ve always been very stoic. It’s just what you had to do,” she said.
“I got through it, fine. It didn’t really hit me til later. You just go through the instinctual motions you go through. I’m very pragmatic and realistic. They’re things that happen to women. It shouldn’t be taboo. It’s important women know they’re not alone and it’s OK. It’s part of life.”
Arena, 50, has spoken about her miscarriages in the past. In 2008 she told the Herald Sun, “"I've had a couple of miscarriages in the past year."
"It's hard. It didn't really hit me until the last few months when I actually had time to think about it.” She said at the time.