So, you’ve been experiencing some ‘weird’ goings on for a while now.

You see others your age just getting on with things. And it seems like everyone makes it look so easy.

Let’s just make it clear; 100% of women will go through perimenopause and on into menopause. 99% of women going through ‘The Change’ will experience some symptoms that can affect daily life to some degree.

That is normal.

What we also normalise now is that women do not discuss what they are going through, or, if they do, they brush over how debilitating these symptoms can be. Up to 40% of women experience symptoms that can lead to at least one day off work or that make changes to their daily routine, even to the extent of changing career or job.

Those pesky hormones are at it again. As a teen we make allowances and give out understanding as we transition through puberty. Those of us who experience pregnancy go through the ‘baby brain’ phase, again with understanding and allowances made.

We get to perimenopause and it’s just ‘The Change’. Even calling this turbulent hormonal transition ‘The Change’ shows how much it is downplayed. To make it clear, for many these ‘Changes’ can be debilitating and long lasting, for some up to 10 years!

Let’s take a look at 5 of the more common symptoms

Symptom 1: Hot Flushes or Flashes (depending on where you are in the world)

Come on with no apparent reasoning and therefore no warning. Mainly reported at night but not always. Can result in total change of clothing/ bedding and looking like a beetroot. Requires cooling immediately!

For sleeping make sure you have light layers to strip off because you may have a few minutes of melting followed by being freezing cold. Make sure if away from home for any length of time you take a change of clothing appropriate for the circumstance.

Symptom 2: Brain Fog

How embarrassing can this be? There you are talking away to someone you know you know; the conversation is quite familiar, but you cannot think of where you know them from or even their name! Then a week later you remember who they are and where from! Your brain my give you a few clues so hopefully you can give a vague conversation in the correct context.

Symptom 3: Unwanted Hair Growth

The hair thing seems to go one of two ways: either it stops growing altogether and the hair removal bill shrinks or, the more annoying and potentially embarrassing one, is increased hair growth, particularly on the face! Seriously! Not only do they suddenly sprout but they are usually jet black and of the stubbly variety. Your beauty therapist will undoubtedly have a number of solutions, in the meantime have tweezers ready by every mirror in the house because by the time you walk from one to the next another will have sprouted.

Symptom 4: Irregular Periods

This is probably the one that makes you think you are in perimenopause. Don't get confused, menopause is when you are out the other side and those periods have stopped, perimenopause is the roller coaster transitional turbulent phase. Be prepared, for all eventualities! It is best to have a number of sanitary products available at all times during this stage. We already have a change of clothes so all bases should be covered. Make sure to include painkillers because like puberty this hormonal transition can be more painful for many.

Symptom 5: Mood changes

Unfortunately, this is why many women are prescribed anti-depressants during perimenopause. Before accepting think about what else could be going on. Why are you crying for no reason, shouting at everyone one minute and then laughing the next, feeling anxious or losing your confidence? It really could be your hormones and therefore needing a different treatment path.

In sum: the journey through perimenopause into menopause can be very turbulent for some, even to the point of debilitating. There are reasons for how you are feeling and behaving. It is normal but not all transitions are the same.

Overall, be kind to yourself. Symptoms are individual.

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