Menopause Symptoms: Speak up

A Hilarious Journey through Hormonal Hell

Ah, menopause. What’s not to love about hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, and an unpredictable menstrual cycle? As if navigating the mid-life years with teenagers wasn’t challenging enough, this delightful time gives us another opportunity to show just how strong we women are. In all seriousness, while these symptoms are common, they are not normal. Most women will spend 1/3 of their life in perimenopause through post menopause, and it’s time we stop just dealing with the symptoms and starting expecting real solutions. If a man went through menopause…yeah, you know. Let’s start talking about our menopause symptoms and discover real solutions.

Speak up

First of all, most people – anyone who is not actively in this phase of life or a medical professional who treats them – don’t realize the impact menopause has on quality of life and emotional well-being. I was listening to a webinar on a menopause treatment the other day and my husband walked into the room and stayed to listen. He commented that he had no idea what we women deal with. So, let’s change that.

Let’s start being more open about what it is we are expected to handle all throughout our life as a woman. We’re all familiar with the jokes and but let’s make the real impact understood. From debilitating menstrual symptoms like cramps, moodiness, sore breasts and heavy flow (I think everyone has at least one horrific story here) to low libido, acne, brain fog and trouble sleeping that comes in menopause, the struggle is real. Very real!

Kate Northrup is already doing this in her book Do Less, by talking about how to lean into your cycle rather than fight against it. While most of us can’t completely shift our lives to align with this approach 100%, it’s a step in the right direction in leveraging our energy and unwanted symptoms as we look for solutions.

Conversation is uncomfortable

I get it. Talking about all of those awkward symptoms is uncomfortable. It was never encouraged by our female role models. And when we talk about our symptoms to the opposite sex it makes them uncomfortable which makes us more uncomfortable. So let’s start talking about it more with each other, with our daughters. Not as a whisper but as a fact of life. Because it is.

And if you can share openly with your significant other about the menopause symptoms you have or are dealing with as a woman, or what your daughter is suffering through in her cycle without solutions, we might start getting more respect for everything we still manage to accomplish. Instead of complaints like “Flo is here again?!”, or arguments about your low libido, awareness just might instill more compassion. And if there is enough noise, real change.

If the conversation of erectile dysfunction can be talked about and get real solutions then the hormonal and micronutrient changes women experience throughout most of their life can, too. Of course, women need to take the lead and it wouldn’t be the first time. I am aware of some new hormone-free solutions that are coming very soon, spearheaded by an amazing, forward-thinking woman. Let’s keep this ball rolling!

If you want more info on the new product line I mentioned, send me a message and I’ll share more.

Looking for more tools to handle difficult seasons in your life? Read my blog here.