In looking back now, I probably started “peri-menopause” in my late 40’s. I believe it started during a very busy time in my life – when I owned my hospice agency; was running 3 offices with over 75 employees. I blamed my symptoms on being busy and overwhelmed. I also had a husband and 2 kids who were in multiple activities and only 1 close to driving age. Talk about going in several different directions! Some days I didn’t know if I was coming or going! Ha It was during this 5 year season that I sold my hospice agency, built a new house and was transitioning to working at home. It’s no wonder I didn’t realize what was happening to my body! I was too busy to notice!
Once I was home full time, I truly thought my body, my mind, every part of my being just needed a break. I had worked long hours and endured lots of stress for the past decade or more. I just thought I was totally and completely “worn out”! Does this sound like you? Are you running from daylight to dark and experiencing some strange symptoms that you’re not sure why they’re happening? For me, the brain fog became so bad that thought I had Alzheimer’s (my mom was diagnosed at 55, died at 62, so I began believing a lie that I also had it too).
Most of you know my story as I’ve written about menopause in past articles here. So please go back and read them as they may be very helpful for you. That is my ultimate desire: to help you not only define what is happening in your body, but to help you get past it with joy instead of fear. Once you recognize the symptoms and hit them head on instead of staying in denial like I did for 10 years, I feel my experiences can prevent you from going through added stress instead of peace. Recognizing the symptoms is the first step to getting the help you need to work past them.
So lets start with “peri-menopause”. The definition according to The Cleveland Clinic is the transitional period before menopause. During perimenopause, levels of estrogen, a key female hormone, start to decrease. You may begin having menopause-like symptoms such as hot flashes or irregular periods. Perimenopause can last for years. DID YOU KNOW THIS?? Since my mom died so young I had no reference or expectation for menopause! It was the last thing I thought I was experiencing. Even my sister had no answers for me as she had not yet started experiencing symptoms and she is almost 5 years older than me! So age is no indication or predictor of when you’ll experience perimenopause. The Mayo Clinic states menopause can happen in your 40s or 50s but the average age is 51 in the U.S. I also want you all to be aware that perimenopause can start at an even earlier age. Some risk factors to make you more likely for this are: smoking, family history, cancer treatment and hysterectomy (removing uterus as well as ovaries). Be mindful of these when you’re evaluating your symptoms.
The Mayo Clinic also states that “the level of estrogen rises and falls unevenly during perimenopause (thus the “cause” of perimenopause). Your menstrual cycles may lengthen or shorten, and you may begin having cycles in which your ovaries don’t release an egg (ovulate). You may also experience hot flashes, sleep issues, and vaginal dryness.” The rule of thumb by most sources is once you’ve gone through 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period, you’ve officially reached menopause and the perimenopause period is over. During this menopausal transition you may experience some subtle and not so subtle changes in your body, including (but not limited to): irregular periods, hot flashes, sleep problems, mood changes, vaginal and bladder problems, decreasing fertility, changes in sexual function, loss of bone, changing cholesterol levels, etc. Other symptoms may include chills, night sweats, weight gain/slow metabolism, thinning hair, dry skin, and loss of breast fullness.
For me, I remained on a low dose estrogen birth control pill as all through my life I would develop an ovarian cyst when my estrogen level was too low. This resulted in numerous, painful ovarian cysts throughout my life that usually resolved on their own but required a doctor’s visit and vaginal ultrasound to confirm. Because of this history I was very fearful of getting off birth control. Plus, I had a scare when I was 40….my period was several weeks late and I thought I was pregnant! Thus, another sign my period was starting to have some inconsistency even at that age. So don’t assume you’re safe from getting pregnant during this time!
It was not until my late 40’s and early 50’s that I started having some inconsistency with my periods again. At 53 I went for my annual GYN appointment and my doctor found something concerning on my cervix – a “polyp” that needed to be removed and tested for malignancy. At this time, I asked for an “ablation” as well so my periods would stop completely. And so they did and I haven’t had a period since. So clinically, you can say by mid year of age 54 I had gone 12 consecutive months without a period and had started the stage of “menopause” instead of perimenopause. I would truthfully say without hormone optimization I would still be having symptoms of menopause, because when its time to re-optimize I can tell that some of the symptoms return – like hot flashes, mood swings and low energy. I never want to experience this stage again! So there’s “light” at the end of the tunnel and now I’m Glowing through Menopause!
So what can you learn from my experiences? Menopause is a normal phase in life and can be experienced with less fear and stress when you know what to expect. Maybe I need to write a book (What to Expect When You’re NOT Expecting – How to Recognize the signs of Perimenopause)! Don’t try to handle your symptoms on your own! Please see your doctor or clinician and discuss options for managing your symptoms and getting through this period of life with greater understanding. Also, find someone you trust or a group of others going through this stage to share your concerns with. I’m saving you a few steps by sharing my experience and offering you a safe place in which to share. This made all the difference in the world for me!
I hope this testimony and brief education on perimenopause is helpful to you! I don’t want other women to suffer as I did! If you have any questions or just want to share with someone who truly understands what you’re going through I invite you to reach out. There is a contact section below and I commit to answering every question and helping you any way I can! If you haven’t joined my Facebook group You Glow Girl (and guy) or my Facebook page (Glowing through Menopause) please see the links below and JOIN US! We will make you feel welcome and help you realize you’re not alone! Let’s GLOW together through Menopause! (Stay tuned for my article next week on Diagnosis and Treatment of Menopause).
https://www.facebook.com/groups/YouGlowGirlandGuy – encouragement and tips on menopause
https://www.facebook.com/SoMuchMoreThanSkincare/ – now “Glowing through Menopause”
https://Linktr.Ee/Michelemccay – get my freebie “5 Ways to Age With Grace”
