my own experience in perimenopause…
Where do I begin.…six years ago, 2019, at the time I was 44 years old.
Seems like a life time ago now, but back then I had no idea what perimenopause was, I also had no idea how it would show up and create the chaos it did in my daily life.
From day to day I could be the happiest person to be around and the next, I’d be slumped on a sofa in tears. I had experienced significant changes in my life in 2019, I’d met a man and moved to a small town, leaving the familiar big city life behind and my Mum would also be diagnosed with cancer that year.
I remember booking an appt with my Dr, a woman I had been seeing for over 3 years and in that appt I told her, I was experiencing debilitating anxiety, once a month for a week leading into my period. In the entirety of that appointment and consecutive appointments, not once did we discuss perimenopause or menopause or the future possibility of it. I left that initial appointment with a prescription for anxiety medication.
I would spend the following 18 months in tears, feeling isolated and alone, feeling like I had completely lost my identity and up to a point - perimenopause would create the baseline for my upheaval. However, at that time in my life, there were several external factors also feeding into the chaos.
My symptoms were varied, but mostly I dealt with weight gain, hot flushes/night sweats, brain fog, I suffered with anxiety, self doubt and honestly, I felt like I was in someone else’s body….if this makes sense. I felt like a stranger in my own body, drained of my happiness and my strength.
It wasn’t until I caught up with a friend & told her my experiences that she uttered the 3 words that I will never forget, “Go on HRT”
I was like “I’m in Menopause…??” totally gobsmacked
I would not go on to take HRT but what would transpire, would be years of research, books and then study, to become, not only a Certified Health and Wellness Coach, but a Certified Menopause Practitioner. Total study = 18 months.
I endured a lengthy nearly two years in the early stages of perimenopause ; because I was not educated about Menopause - I had no idea knowledge of perimenopause and as I began to ask friends, their knowledge too seemed limited. My dear Mum, was ill and in and out of hospital - too ill to share her knowledge. It seemed like I’d stumbled upon a taboo subject, a topic no one discussed or had little to no answers about.
And this, is the reason, I do what I do, why I became a Menopause Practitioner - my personal experience in perimenopause was debilitating, one that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. This and the fact that no one was openly talking about Menopause. I wanted women to know A) the reality of menopause B) to be educated about menopause and C) that everything will work out in the end, if not for the better….
My goal is to support women in Menopause and relay as much information as I possible, through a lifestyle and holistic lens.
To those that have hit perimenopause and you don’t know what is going on !! You’re not alone - even if you feel like you are. There are many women transitioning through perimenopause and menopause at this time, never feel like you cannot reach out to anyone.
Tia xo
Lifestyle and Holistic Menopause Practitioner,
www.ikura.co.nz
*Disclaimer : I made the decision not to take HRT for my own personal reasons, I manage Menopause holistically at 50 years, I feel better than ever. I have no judgements against HRT and I work with many clients that take HRT. As a Lifestyle and Holistic Menopause Practitioner and in my work HRT is a positive tool for women in Menopause.