Sorry that you’re dealing with all of this. A few years ago, I was placed in medically induced menopause for 10 months. It was awful. Can HRT help through this transition? I know some women who use it and swear by it. Have you read The Menopause Manifesto by Dr. Jen Gunter? Awesome book. I think you’d really it.
I read her newsletter, but haven't read her books yet. She's brilliant! I feel like I've got a decent handle on perimenopause, but it's wild to me that we're going through such dramatic changes and are expected to just carry on like nothing's out of the ordinary. Menopause is still treated like a dirty little secret, best to be hidden away and endured quietly. No thanks ma'am, I'd rather shout about it from the rooftops!
It’s a just another “female problem,” and we wouldn’t want to inconvenience the men, so of course we’re supposed to shut up and deal with it silently… not! I’m so glad there’s women like you speaking honestly and unapologetically about an issue (natural cycle) that society wants to keep hidden and shameful. When I was growing up, nobody discussed Endometriosis. Now, I see commercials about it on tv. I imagine menopause will have a similar renaissance. Naomi Watts just released her own book about her experiences with menopause (I just got a copy!). Speaking out today paves the way for the next generation of women. Fight the patriarchy!
What a brilliant post, Miriam! And boy can I relate! I've recently turned 49 so I've been suffering a few years now. I think it started at 40 but I didn't realise it until a few years later. I was having horrendous palpitations that left me feeling nauseous, dizzy and exhausted and the brain fog was another level—but luckily that has calmed down somewhat. Lately though, I've been having to keep a towel by my pillow at night just in case, and I wake up tired ready to sleep lol. And the chin hairs....blimey....honestly I'm mortified if I catch sight of my profile in the 'wrong' light sometimes. Urgh! xx
I've heard about the palpitations, that must be so scary. What feels like a heart attack is just "normal" female stuff, nbd, carry on as normal. It's such an intense, life-altering change, yet it's not talked about enough. Crazy!
I’d love to go braless, but my full D cups are too rebellious for that. Nearing 40, even just standing still feels like an extreme sport—complete with aches, pains, and the occasional sigh of defeat!
I hear ya! Even sleeping has turned into a workout, complete with the sore neck and back in the morning to prove it. Perimenopause is an olympic event none if us signed up for!
This shit is exhausting! But let's laugh about it. And don't start wearing bras, your back will hurt even more. I have been a full C bordering on D for always and in 2020 I gave up wearing bras, so liberating. I do wear a tank top kind of thing in the winter, but very rarely anything in the summer. I cannot care anymore what anybody thinks about that, I need to be comfortable!
And I have seriously thought about growing out my beard and seeing how far along I can nurture it, just because lol. Ahhhhh, menopause! Which I'm supposedly in, according to my doctor, but he also sys he does not know what that means...
I just read your powerful essay. "Sometimes they bleed until they faint", *shrugs shoulders* Misogyny in medicine is so infuriating!
It's such an intense transformation that affects every aspect of our lives, and yet we're supposed to pretend everything is business as usual and just get on with it. Can you imagine a man bleeding profusely for months on end and just carry on? He would be knocking on his doctor's door every day, demanding answers and refusing to go away until he got them.
No kidding! I could not believe it when he said that. It is systemic and infuriating and I hope future generations don’t put up with this kind of crap anymore.
Sorry that you’re dealing with all of this. A few years ago, I was placed in medically induced menopause for 10 months. It was awful. Can HRT help through this transition? I know some women who use it and swear by it. Have you read The Menopause Manifesto by Dr. Jen Gunter? Awesome book. I think you’d really it.
I read her newsletter, but haven't read her books yet. She's brilliant! I feel like I've got a decent handle on perimenopause, but it's wild to me that we're going through such dramatic changes and are expected to just carry on like nothing's out of the ordinary. Menopause is still treated like a dirty little secret, best to be hidden away and endured quietly. No thanks ma'am, I'd rather shout about it from the rooftops!
It’s a just another “female problem,” and we wouldn’t want to inconvenience the men, so of course we’re supposed to shut up and deal with it silently… not! I’m so glad there’s women like you speaking honestly and unapologetically about an issue (natural cycle) that society wants to keep hidden and shameful. When I was growing up, nobody discussed Endometriosis. Now, I see commercials about it on tv. I imagine menopause will have a similar renaissance. Naomi Watts just released her own book about her experiences with menopause (I just got a copy!). Speaking out today paves the way for the next generation of women. Fight the patriarchy!
Exactly!!
What a brilliant post, Miriam! And boy can I relate! I've recently turned 49 so I've been suffering a few years now. I think it started at 40 but I didn't realise it until a few years later. I was having horrendous palpitations that left me feeling nauseous, dizzy and exhausted and the brain fog was another level—but luckily that has calmed down somewhat. Lately though, I've been having to keep a towel by my pillow at night just in case, and I wake up tired ready to sleep lol. And the chin hairs....blimey....honestly I'm mortified if I catch sight of my profile in the 'wrong' light sometimes. Urgh! xx
I've heard about the palpitations, that must be so scary. What feels like a heart attack is just "normal" female stuff, nbd, carry on as normal. It's such an intense, life-altering change, yet it's not talked about enough. Crazy!
I’d love to go braless, but my full D cups are too rebellious for that. Nearing 40, even just standing still feels like an extreme sport—complete with aches, pains, and the occasional sigh of defeat!
I hear ya! Even sleeping has turned into a workout, complete with the sore neck and back in the morning to prove it. Perimenopause is an olympic event none if us signed up for!
This shit is exhausting! But let's laugh about it. And don't start wearing bras, your back will hurt even more. I have been a full C bordering on D for always and in 2020 I gave up wearing bras, so liberating. I do wear a tank top kind of thing in the winter, but very rarely anything in the summer. I cannot care anymore what anybody thinks about that, I need to be comfortable!
And I have seriously thought about growing out my beard and seeing how far along I can nurture it, just because lol. Ahhhhh, menopause! Which I'm supposedly in, according to my doctor, but he also sys he does not know what that means...
I just read your powerful essay. "Sometimes they bleed until they faint", *shrugs shoulders* Misogyny in medicine is so infuriating!
It's such an intense transformation that affects every aspect of our lives, and yet we're supposed to pretend everything is business as usual and just get on with it. Can you imagine a man bleeding profusely for months on end and just carry on? He would be knocking on his doctor's door every day, demanding answers and refusing to go away until he got them.
No kidding! I could not believe it when he said that. It is systemic and infuriating and I hope future generations don’t put up with this kind of crap anymore.