Meg Mathews' menopause treatments turned her dog into a ''mating target''.

The 54-year-old socialite has spoken openly about the biological changes she experienced while going through the natural female ageing process, in which menstrual periods stop permanently and hormone levels change, and after trying a range of alternative therapies to tackle her symptoms, she ultimately found that progesterone tablets, testosterone cream and oestrogen gel were the best thing to use.

However, Meg could get careless with one of the treatments, leading to trouble for her canine companion.

She explained to You magazine: ''I used to rub the gel into my hands after I'd put it on, then I'd cuddle my dog Ziggy. I'd take him for a walk around Primrose Hill and we'd be followed by packs of dogs. I didn't realise I'd turned him into a mating target.''

Meg's menopause was marked by anxiety, depression and headaches, amongst other symptoms, and things got so bad, her daughter Anais - who she has with ex-husband Noel Gallagher - feared her mother was having a ''breakdown''.

Meg admitted: ''She thought I was having a breakdown. I'd scream at her about her room not being tidy when it was perfectly fine.

''She once said she liked a certain M&S vegetarian bake and when she came home there were seven in the fridge. She said, 'Oh, one for every night of the week'. She and my boyfriend laughed and I just lost the plot.''

The blonde star was initially worried her symptoms were the result of years of excess catching up with her so was stunned when it was suggested it could be the menopause by a fellow attendee at an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting.

She recalled to You magazine: ''I said, 'If this is what my life is now I may as well start drinking again, because at least that might make me feel better.' I meant it.''

But before she left, a woman told her she thought she was menopausal and gave her a phone number.

Meg continued: ''I thought she was mad. Menopause meant my granny. Not me. But on the way home I kept thinking about what she'd said. I didn't know anything about the menopause but the penny had dropped. That's when the journey began.''