Welcome to Perimenopause
A beautiful time in a woman’s life where she gets to experience puberty all over again, but with 30 additional symptoms. And this time, she has a family, full time job, bills to pay, cooking, cleaning and don’t forget the never-ending laundry.
I am thinking that Judy Blume should write a grown-up version of “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” that deals with the 5-15-year timeframe of perimenopause.
Why didn’t anyone tell me about this?
Is this new? Did our mother’s and grandmother’s go through this? Was it just something no one talked about?
In her TEDx Talk, Menopause is Misunderstood by Shirley Weir, she says that 20% of women sail through, 20% have their world rocked and the other 60% experience things that are annoying and disruptive.
Again, I ask, why did I not know about any of this??
It’s a long list
This is by no means exhaustive, but it gives an idea of what women may experience as estrogen production in the ovaries decreases and hormones are constantly shifting.
- Unpredictable and/or heavy periods
- Adult acne
- PMS/mood swings—bouts of crying countered with a healthy dose of rage
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Trouble sleeping
- Fatigue—partly because you can’t sleep
- Brain fog
- Trouble concentrating
- Anxiety
- Weight gain
- Vaginal dryness
- Migraines
- Low libido—look at all that crap above, does this one surprise you?
A few suggestions that may help
- Regular physical activity
- Eat a balanced diet—vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats, whole grains
- Do not smoke
- Less alcohol, sugary snacks and caffeine which can trigger hot flashes and night sweats
- See your gynecologist and/or primary care physician
- See a naturopath or functional medicine doctor
- Find a support group or individual
- Make taking care of yourself mandatory—you are not optional
The silver lining
Yes, there is good news! You are not crazy, lazy or sick. Don’t tell yourself that you just need to suck it up and survive! If you take one thing with you from this article, please don’t give up on finding answers when it comes to your physical or mental health. You are a strong woman, and you are not alone.
Jennifer Viverette is a Certified Holistic Health and Life Coach. A Lincoln County resident since 2008, who loves the tight knit community. Married for 21 years, with 3 cool kids, she loves to run, hike and read. After spending over 20 years in Human Resources, Jennifer now enjoys helping people reach their goals in a different capacity. You can contact her at healthcoachjenv@gmail.com
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