The first time I noticed something was up was how my feet wouldn’t fit in my shoes anymore 🙄. They’re already Barney Rubble-esque so I was annoyed; I already can’t get these things into cute summer sandals, now I have to buy bigger?! When I complained, my mom nodded, saying the same had happened to her. She assured me that it went back to normal (it took a year, but it eventually did).
Then the skin dryness, and sleep issues, and gut issues happened. And each time I shrugged it off and blamed: the weather, stress/job issues/maybe something I ate.
My mom had a hysterectomy at age 40 and no one seemed to talk about this so where could I look?
I don’t know if this is a North America thing, or a modern society thing but finding resources for perimenopause or menopause is… annoying. frustrating. And I don’t know if this is a woman/gender role/or North American thing, I chose to ignore things, stick my chin up and soldier on.
Dumb.
The first huge step was finding a doctor who was willing to talk about it. I tried two and it was the “well, you’re about the right age. But unless you haven’t had a period for 12 months, you’re not there yet.” ok. Fairly sure I’m not a light switch but ok…that happened twice.
Enter: https://portal.menopause.org/NAMS/NAMS/Directory/Menopause-Practitioner.aspx
I found them via @dr_naomipotter and @menopause_dietitian on IG, both UK based.
When I talked about symptoms with this local DNP, I ended my list with “but none of it is as bad as I hear so I’m not sure if it’s just me.” She paused, raised one eyebrow at me like a skeptical friend and said, “just because it’s not as bad as others, doesn’t mean it’s not real for you.”
💗
Boom. Heart cracked open. So I’m learning to notice and not dismiss the: night sweats, heart palpitations, increased UTIs, trouble sleeping, and weight gain.
And being willing to see it is freeing me to take the next step—figuring out the rest of it.
Background: 1) I’m a former academic—college prof for 15+ years, 2) complete and total nerd.
When I’m annoyed, I research. And I love sharing info—nothing better than commiserating with friends 😂 So if I can find something that helps a bunch of us, then ice cream and confetti for everyone!
Some things that may or may not turn people away:
I’m a rabid supporter of women’s health, not just physical but as a whole person. I’m not here to “fit into a size X, bikini body” BS. My goal is to be a 90 year old woman strong enough to do whatever TF I want.
I also believe that everyone has their own path. I decided to get on a low-dose HRT and see how it goes but I totally get that it might not be for everyone (I’m not even sure it’s for me yet, but we’ll see).
For now, I’m into doing what I can control—exercise and nutrition. So that’s what I’ll be sharing what I find for the next while.
There’s nothing that spurs me on more than being annoyed, and the lack of info out there ANNOYS me 😂. So if this can be a random bathroom wall to scrawl secret info on that helps everyone, that would be awesome.
I’m so glad to meet you!
💗C