Women-O-Pause: How actor Lenaa Kumar turned her perimenopause journey into a midlife guide

Actor Lenaa Kumar did not set out to write a book on menopause. She began writing to make sense of a life stage that can leave women questioning their bodies, identities and sense of self.

"Midlife brought it on me, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was finding myself upside down, not knowing which way to start answering the problems," the actor and author says, describing the year her body, mind and energy seemed to turn against her all at once.

The physical, mental and, as she puts it, “energy-wise” unravelling became the starting point of an obsessive year of research through podcasts, medical books, conversations with an Ayurvedic physician and a deep dive into functional medicine. 

This research became Women-O-Pause - A Midlife Guide for Women and Their Men (Penguin Random House), Lenaa’s second book after her widely discussed debut, Autobiography of God.

For Lenaa, the understanding began early, and at home.

“As a teenager, I watched my mother go through it. I didn't even know it was called perimenopause. But when it hit me, I understood how confused a woman can get during that time, because the first thing that happens is your brain goes offline, and that's the very brain you need to find answers and solutions to your physical and energy problems,” she says.

A midlife guide based on four pillars

According to Lenaa, Women-O-Pause is a midlife guide built around four pillars, based on her understanding that every human being is a composite of consciousness, energy, mind and body.

“Every physical body needs its mental aspect to function, and the mental and physical aspects need energy to be balanced and in motion, and all of this needs to be held under conscious awareness.”

The first step, Lenaa believes, is awareness: understanding what perimenopause is, recognising its symptoms and, importantly, refusing to dismiss them.

“Women often say, ‘I didn't even know I was going through all this.’ They were confused, disturbed, angry, irritated. Then they realise, ‘I wasn't sleeping well,’ or ‘I'm putting on weight around my middle,’ or ‘I have less muscle strength now.’” she points out.

They begin to see that all these separate symptoms fall under one big umbrella called perimenopause.

That awareness, she explains, can itself ease some of the mental strain. The next pillar is energy. Lenaa describes perimenopause as a period of profound transition in the body, one that requires women to rethink how they nourish and care for themselves. “We need much more energy, the right food, the right supplements and, most importantly, rest,” she says.

Then comes the mind, and the impact that the psychological changes can have on relationships.

Finally comes the body, and the practical changes women can make, particularly around nutrition, sleep and muscle health.

For her research, Lenaa spoke with her Ayurvedic physician and functional medicine practitioners, and included their advice as “expert chapters” in Women-O-Pause. 

“People are naturally sceptical about health; even though my research helped me, they don't know how much they can rely on my experience alone. It might be unique to my body, and people may not be sure it will work for theirs. That's why I felt it was important to include these notes from experts — brief, concise, solid information anyone can use,” she says.

In the book, Lenaa distinguishes between the outward-facing energy women have been conditioned to operate in and what she calls feminine energy — receptive, intuitive, restorative. How can we reclaim that without romanticising femininity, or telling women they simply need to "slow down"?

“I don't think slowing down is femininity, but pushing through with brute force when your body needs rest isn't the feminine way either. The feminine way is to go with the flow of what's required,” she says.

For Lenaa, the answer is simple: to work with the body's own rhythms. “Going with our own flow is the feminine way. You have your high tides and low tides, your quiet moments when you need them. It's about stepping out of the masculine mode that the world has adopted,” she adds.

This is particularly relevant for working women, who often feel compelled to match certain expectations. “We need to change the narrative, so the world understands that women don't function like men, and perhaps function better when given their own space rather than being pushed to work exactly as men do,” she notes.

Making information accessible

Lenaa believes change often begins with those who have access and visibility, before it reaches everyone else.

“Those with access to information always become the first movers, the forerunners of the movement, and then it gradually becomes normalised. These are usually women in policymaking positions, who go on to change policy, and that gradually helps those who are less fortunate over the years.”

For her, making information accessible is part of that responsibility.

She deliberately wrote Women-O-Pause in simple, accessible language. “Most of the books I researched were written by doctors, in fairly technical language. I kept thinking: how is the average woman, with no science or medical background, supposed to understand this? That's why the book has been simplified as much as possible, so it reaches everyone.”

The other half, she says, is implementation, and that is where she is now taking the conversation beyond the book. Lenaa is the brand ambassador for women's wellness clinics across Thrissur district, an initiative of the Thrissur Corporation that includes awareness camps and clinics. Thrissur Mayor Dr Niji Justin, a gynaecologist, started the initiative.

Meanwhile, the conversations have moved beyond the book. Lenaa has appeared on more than 80 podcasts discussing menopause, using her visibility as an actor to take the conversation to wider audiences.

She is also starting a short-form content series on her YouTube channel, with bite-sized episodes on individual topics, and hopes to build a website that becomes a one-stop destination for information, assessment and solutions.

The response so far has been encouraging. “People tell me their lives have changed, that they feel so much lighter now that they understand this. So many women have said they have shared my talks with friends and family because it's easier to just share the podcast, the talk, or the book than to try and explain it themselves.”

For Lenaa, the journey towards Women-O-Pause has transformed her health and outlook.

“The most empowering thing in this whole journey is knowing that, within a month of implementing everything I learned through my research, I was in pretty much the best health of my life.”

“I'm confident I can go into that journey with my head held high and my heart full of joy, instead of that fear of sliding down a slippery slope of permanent decline, or the dark, scary thoughts that come with thinking, ‘Old age is going to hit me.’ Those thoughts are gone for good,” she adds.