I turned 40 earlier this year and as I’ve noticed the changes in my body over the past few years, menopause has been on my mind a lot. I really appreciate the celebrities like Naomi Watts, Sofia Vergara, Halle Berry, and Brooke Burke who have spoken up about their experiences and how our bodies change as we age.
Kate Winslet, who turns 49 on October 5, was a guest on the September 10 episode of the podcast How to Fail with Elizabeth Day. During her appearance, a listener asked about ways to “rekindle her sex drive” with her boyfriend. Kate responded by talking about the how testosterone levels in a woman’s body depletes as they age. She also shared her experience with testosterone therapy, which she credited with making her feel sexy again.
Kate Winslet is getting candid about her sex drive. The Lee actress, 48, said during a Sept. 10 episode of the How to Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast that her libido got a major boost after undergoing testosterone replacement therapy. While answering a listener’s relationship question about how to rekindle her sex drive with her longtime boyfriend, Winslet gave advice and opened up about her health journey.
“Sometimes women have a real dip in libido because there might be stuff going on with their thyroid. There could also be stuff going on with your level of testosterone,” the Oscar winner said.
“A lot of people don’t know this, but women have testosterone in their body, when it runs out — like eggs — it’s gone,” Winslet added. “And once it’s gone you have to replace it, and that is something that can be done and you’ll feel sexy again … I know.”
Winslet also suggested that the listener should have her thyroid levels and testosterone levels checked: “Those things could have a direct impact on how you’re actually feeling. It’s not your fault, our bodies are weird and they behave in strange ways, especially as we get older.”
She continued: “So there could be a dip in those hormonal levels for you that is contributing much more than you think to how you’re feeling about having sex with your boyfriend, so I would definitely go ahead and do that.”
Winslet also noted that the listener should be easy on herself while navigating the situation.
The Titanic star also spoke about embracing body positivity during her podcast appearance, saying, “We have to own [our bodies], this is the thing.”
“We’re so conditioned, women, in our 40s to think, ‘Oh well I’m creeping closer to the end.’ You think you’re going into menopause and you’ll stop having sex, your boobs are going to sag and your skin’s going to go crepy,” she explained. “First of all, so what? And secondly, it’s just conditioning.”
“I think women as they get older get juicier and sexier and more embedded in their truth of who they are and more powerful, more able to walk through the world and care less and that is an empowering thing,” Winslet said. “I say to my friends all the time, ‘You look amazing.‘ ”
Winslet has been outspoken about aging and her physicality. She previously spoke about being “brave” when it came to on-screen nudity. “I know better than to waste precious energy on criticizing my physical self,” she told Vogue in a September 2023 interview.
“I think any woman is better off just saying: I believe in myself. It doesn’t matter what other people think; this is who I am — let’s get on with it,” Winslet said.
Ignoring how she describes women’s bodies as getting “juicier” as they age (WTF does that even mean?!), I have always appreciated Kate’s honesty. How else are we going to find out about potential issues if they’re not actually talked about? This speaks to what I’ve always believed is why we need to destigmatize these topics. Otherwise, we suffer in silence and wonder what’s “wrong” with us when it doesn’t have to be like that. Has anyone had any experience with this? I’ve read up on hormone therapy during menopause but always thought that estrogen and progestin were the main focuses. Of course, as with everything, speak with your doctor and consider any potential side effects.
You can listen to Kate’s episode of How to Fail here.
photos credit: Aissaoui Nacer/Backgrid, Phil Lewis / Wenn / Avalon, Julie Edwards / Avalon