Gwyneth Paltrow gave a health update as she revealed that she turned to alcohol amid the devastating Los Angeles fires that began in January.

Gwyneth Paltrow, a 52-year-old Oscar winner, recently expressed the challenges she has been facing with her menopause symptoms. Despite paying a heartfelt tribute to her ex-husband, Chris Martin, on his 48th birthday, she opened up about how her symptoms have worsened due to excessive drinking.

During Tuesday’s episode of her Goop podcast, the actress shared: ‘I’m really in the thick of it right now, so I’m all over the place.

She revealed that her menopause symptoms were fairly manageable until a particular incident in January when wildfires were raging in Los Angeles. It was during this time that she relied on alcohol more heavily, which had an adverse impact on her well-being.

When the deadly wildfires broke out throughout Southern California on January 7, Paltrow said, ‘I think I drank every night. I was medicating.

Although Gwyneth Paltrow now limits her alcohol intake to just one drink per week, she acknowledged that there was a period when she was consuming alcohol regularly. This period coincided with her experiencing severe menopause symptoms, leading her to realize the direct connection between alcohol consumption and the exacerbation of her symptoms.

Gwyneth Paltrow, 52, gave a health update as she revealed that she turned to alcohol amid the devastating Los Angeles fires that began in January; seen in February in L.A. 

Paltrow explained that she has been having trouble with insomnia – an issue she did not have before menopause. 

‘I’ve always been a real sleeper,’ the Hollywood star shared, but adding that after menopause, ‘I went through a particularly bad time with it.

‘There were nights where my anxiety – like, I just thought it meant, “Oh, you’re not gonna be able to sleep because you don’t have enough progesterone or whatever.”‘ 

The mother-of-two continued, ‘I would just wake up [and] I would get crushed with anxiety, which I’ve never had in my life.

‘And I would lie in bed thinking about every mistake I’ve ever made, every person’s feelings I ever hurt, like, every bad, you know – And I would be up, like, for six hours. It was crazy. I feel like hopefully I’m coming out the other side.’

Guest Dr. Mary Clare Haver joined in on the episode and explained, ‘In perimenopause, we call it the zone of hormonal chaos. It’s all over the place. It is completely unpredictable, and our brains hate chaos. 

‘It’s years for some women,’ Haver added, with the Iron Man actress replying with, ‘I feel like I’ve been in it for years.’

Paltrow has previously opened up about the importance of having discussions about menopause, per Elle. 

The Oscar winner got candid about her worsening menopause symptoms as the result of drinking ‘every night’; seen in 2024 in Paris 

The mother-of-two continued, ‘I would just wake up [and] I would get crushed with anxiety, which I’ve never had in my life’

‘I started asking my friends around the dinner table a few years ago. “This is happening for me. Is it happening for you guys? These are my symptoms.” Really cultivating the conversation,’ Gwyneth explained. 

‘I just think it’s crucial for us to have community around these difficult things. When we have little kids, we don’t feel ashamed saying, “I’m having a problem with my toddler.”

‘Or, “How do you potty-train them?” But for some reason, when it’s around this phase of our lives, it becomes some weird or bad thing. 

‘The idea that women have been enshrouded in silence and shame around menopause for years and years and years is so crazy. This is such a natural, wonderful, different time in a woman’s life,’ the star further expressed. 

Paltrow later added, ‘I’m not sure why it was made to be embarrassing or shameful to talk about. It’s perfectly natural that we all traverse through it.

‘If we’re lucky, we live to go through perimenopause, and someday I’ll be in menopause. And I’m looking forward to understanding what that means and the gifts that come along with it.’ 

In January amid the Los Angeles fires, the actress shared her ‘deep grief’ over the devastating infernos – including the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires. 

‘Our beloved Los Angeles…We are in deep grief for so many of our close friends who have lost everything.’