I thought turning 40 would usher in a new era of zen. I would have life figured out and I would finally be comfortable with who I am.
As luck would have it, my body greeted turning 40 by gathering my hormones and sloshing them up and down like a kid with a snow globe. Only, it’s not a pretty serene scene. It’s more of a disaster movie. And not the fun kind of disaster that includes punching sharks that happen to fly through the air randomly.
I can look back at the last several years and guess that this started happening right around the time we moved to TN 4 years ago. I was only 36 at the time. I promise you the thought that I was going through perimenopause didn’t occur to me. In fact, I wondered, several times, if I could possibly be pregnant. That seemed just as unlikely. I wrote it off to the stress of the move. About two years after our move, I decided maybe I should figure out if something was wrong with me. Maybe I was starting menopause? I asked my new doctor and she assured me it was unlikely. I don’t remember that she had any answer for me, at the time. Nothing looked unusual in regard to the blood work.
(This is pretty much how I feel right now. Ha-ha-ha)
But now, I think I’m at the point where there is no denying this. According to Web MD, the average length of this process is 4 years. For some women, it’s a 10-year ordeal. Have mercy. In the last 1 – 2 years, the drop of estrogen speeds up and causes noticeable symptoms. Here is a non-exhaustive list for you:
Hot flashes, fatigue, mood swings and trouble sleeping.
Maybe this means I’m in the last 1-2 years of this. Right? I’m not sure if that should reassure me or make me curl up and cry. I mostly feel old. And bloated. And grumpy. And teary. And sweaty.
You know how emotional and irrational preteen girls are? I am right there with them. You should be praying for my husband. Bless his sweet heart (for you northerners, that means “good luck”). 🙂 🙂
Well, it doesn’t last forever and most of us come out the other end still alive and kicking, and, by the grace of God, with our marriages still intact. Most days just knowing what is causing it is a big help. They really didn’t say anything about the peri part of menopause when I was that age, so I just knew I wasn’t menopausal, and wondered what the heck was going on! Now I can look back and see that perimenopause was the reason for a lot of irrational behavior on my part.
That’s really interesting. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow. Maybe some blood work will confirm what’s going on.
I started getting hot flashes in my late thirties. Shortly thereafter, I started eating low carb for different reasons. The hot flashes went away. Food and hormones are closely related! Insulin is a hormone, and all the hormones are interrelated, like a big web. A change in one affects some, most, or all of the others. (I’m not a medical professional. I’ve just logged hundreds of hours reading up on food and health.) PS – Found you via hope*writers!
Thank you! I appreciate your input. 🙂