I am the Face of Menopause

I am the face of Menopause.

I went through an early menopause by age 40, with peri-menopause symptoms ravaging my mid 30's for years. Not one doctor thought to ask me about my family history, or even considered I could be in peri-menopause, and I suffered for a long time with no answers.

I had to be so careful with my food intake, suffered from headaches, insulin resistance, fatigue, mood swings (which certainly contributed to my marriage problems), slowing thyroid, uti's, painful sex, brain fog, hair loss, anxiety, and eventually hot flashes and night sweats. It hasn't been easy. And I had to work extremely hard to keep my fitness, my muscle and my metabolism with failing hormone sensitivity. But I did it. I still have to monitor my bone density, muscle mass and visceral fat, all things which can reach dangerous levels when you are post-menopause for so long.

But I am here to tell you, it is not the end. And menopause doesn’t make you “old” or “frumpy” or the “uncool grandma.” I was determined not to be pigeonholed into these outdated stereotypes. How is that fair? Every woman, e.v.e.r.y. woman will enter menopause, it is as certain as puberty and death, however not only does the stigma around this word remain, but there is still very little research or knowledgeable healthcare practitioners available for support. What gives?

So what can we do about the changes that will inevitably occur within our bodies and minds, how can we prevent some of the symptoms, or at least minimize them? And why would we want to do that, anyway? Well, for starters, as we lose the ability to utilize certain hormones, our muscle mass begins to change, bones can become brittle (osteopenia), we experience insulin sensitivity and can begin storing dangerous fat around our organs, our mind can feel less sharp, energy can plummet, and along with all of this so can our mood. We can have high days and low days, poor quality sleep, and anxiety that seems to come from nowhere! And then there are the hot flashes, night sweats, skin changes and hair thinning. Oh joy!

I am not trying to scare you, but I am trying to make you understand the depth of symptoms you may experience, and why it is worth improving your health and lifestyle immediately, so you can weather these storms and come out on the other side even strong than you are now! Yes, you can come out stronger. I believe that peri and menopause happen during the time of a woman’s life when she needs to ask the most questions, when she is realizing the finitude of her existence, and is forced to pause and look inward. Menopause is the time we become wise about how we want to live the second half of our lives. Without menopause, many of us would not stop to listen or learn, we would just keep doing what we do, keeping the world going round, doing all the things women do for everyone else except herself. This is your time. It is up to you.