Waking up the last few days with intense hot flashes has prompted me to write this post. Those of us going through “the change” are experiencing most of these symptoms, those younger have them to look forward to (not) and those already on the other side can laugh knowing full well what it feels like.
In the past, when I heard the word menopause, I assumed that once you were in menopause all the symptoms you hear about would appear. Naive as I was, I thought your periods would stop and then the hot flashes, mood swings and weight gain would happen.
Sometime in your 40’s you start experiencing symptoms. I think mine started early because my menstrual cycles began early, at age 9. Now that I am experiencing symptoms and doing a bit of research, I realize that all the “fun” symptoms happen in perimenopause…a few years before your periods stop.
Weight Gain
I have probably put on 20-30 pounds in the last few years. I eat pretty much the same things and exercise a similar amount as I did before. Apparently I should be eating less/no carbs, sugar, fats, and drinking more water. I should be having healthy proteins with each meal, including breakfast.
Abdominal bloating
This is also tied to eating better. I recently tried removing gluten and it does make me feel better. I have also switched to Almond milk to reduce the amount of dairy I am consuming. No more bloating up into my rib cage. My doctor did check for ovarian cancer or cysts because this can sometimes be a factor but no, it is just a stage of life thing.
Menstrual Cycle Changes
Menstrual cycles change during this time. I always had an irregular cycle. Sometimes it was two days early, other times four days late and once in awhile on time. In the past few years, I have had months where my period just didn’t come or it was very light and recently it is coming every 2-3 weeks.
Breast Pain
This came along with the times I did not get my period. For the entire month after, my breasts were swollen and tender. Recently, even though I did get my regular period, my breasts remained swollen and sore. This is apparently a result of high estrogen levels. It reminds me of the fullness they would feel just before breast feeding.
Taking vitamin B6 and Vitamin E are supposed to help as well as staying hydrated and avoiding salt. Reducing anxiety is also helpful so doing deep breathing exercises and mediation might do the trick.
Joint Pain
My joint pain started about five years ago. My big toe began swelling at the joint where it meets my foot. It is worse when I wear sandals or flip flops so I don’t wear them anymore. When it bothers me, I put either an ice pack or homemade heat pad on it. Sometimes the joint has to be popped to reduce the pain.
I have struggled with lower back pain since I started working with children. All the bending to pick them up or to pick up toys really aggravated my back. The doctor says I have arthritis in my lower back. I do my stretches nightly and , aside from something joint clicking, my back rarely bothers me now.
My hip on my left side aches quite regularly. If it gets really painful and stretches haven’t helped enough, I resort to an electric heating pad.
Mood Swings
You know that feeling you get when you are PMS’ing? That can happen anytime right out of the blue. Your hormones are all over the place and can really put your emotions off kilter.
Hot Flashes
These I would equate to how you feel just before you are going to faint or when you get really nervous and your body temperature rises really quickly. I get them during the day and at night. The feeling just washes over you and you want to go outside…in winter…without a coat on.
Mental Clarity
There are days where I feel like I am in a fog. Focusing on anything is a struggle. I am usually very good at math but a simple problem can cause my brain to hurt. Caffeine does help but a better solution for me is to do some outdoor exercise; the fresh air helps to wake up my mind.
Restless Sleep
Due to the joint pain and hot flashes, sleep is almost always broken; that, along with the need to pee at least once in the night. I have read that screen time just before attempting to sleep is a bad idea as blue light affects the production of melatonin. Stretching before sleep as well as doing deep breathing does help.
Vaginal Dryness
This one is an uncomfortable subject but can be painful when not addressed. For day to day, applying a little bit of Durex KY Silk lubricant helps and it doesn’t absorb quickly. For more intimate moments, Durex Real Feel intimate lubricant (orange bottle) works well.
Every woman goes through perimenopause so why not talk about it more.
Whatever you might be experiencing is also being felt by others.
Did i give you my information!!
My period in the late 40’s early 50’s was heavy, to the point that my Dr. Suggested to start with a D & C in my early 50’s, that truly helped and I didn’t have to do anything else. Periods slowed down and came to a halt with a year or so.
My mind didn’t function well for some years, but, I laughed because it wasn’t something I could change and I did get better.
Unlike most women I got warm now and then but I could not classify that as ‘hot’ flashes.
Sleep deprivation was the issue I dealt with for several years.
My body seemed to enjoy a harder surface to the comfort of a bed. In other words, I hit the floor 4 out of 5 nights for many years.
Getting up often at night stays and usually becomes more frequent, but, staying hydrated is more important. ❤️