Let’s All Pause: Perimenopause and Menopause

As a woman in my 50s I’ve experienced both perimenopause and menopause. As a sister to three, with many female friends and colleagues, I know how important it’s been to share these changes in my body with my girlfriends. These changes and chapters are different for each of us. If you’re lucky enough to live long enough to experience them, don’t fret, embrace them! Embrace the process of gradual transition. After all, we are more than people who menstruate and can birth a child.

The age at which females begin to experience perimenopause can vary just as much as the onset of our periods/menses. Some will experience it earlier than others, and that’s all right. I want to stress that if you’re experiencing these symptoms, you’re not alone. A visit with your OBGYN or primary-care provider can give you support and a road map to homeostasis. Perimenopause starts in the twilight of our reproductive abilities, with fluctuations in estrogen levels. Both males and females produce estrogen, and it’s responsible for regulating a lot of body processes, including our emotions.

With these fluctuations we can experience vaginal dryness, depression, weight gain, night sweats, mood swings, breast tenderness, changes in blood cholesterol, lower bone density, fatigue, pain, anxiety and stress. (Sounds a lot like Menses Part 2, right?) Fear not, you should notice a decrease in menses occurrence and volume, which can save you a little money.

It can be uncomfortable with our partnerswhen we’re trying to engage in sex and feel  aroused, yet find we’re not self-lubricating as we once did. This may also make our partners feel as though they’re not turning us on and cause a whole other situation, if you know what I mean. Yes, there is personal lubricant. You may want to make an appointment with your provider and bring your partner, so they can understand that more foreplay is important and this is biological. It happens to us all. I found myself having vaginal dryness even just walking around, so I kept lubricant packs in my pocket or purse, and would put some on after using the bathroom so I wouldn’t have toilet paper stuck to my parts.

Your provider can check your hormones and thyroid too. We humans are ruled by hormones. If they find your estrogen and testosterone are low, or one is higher and one is lower, they can treat that with hormone-replacement therapy.

If you have close girlfriends or sisters you can talk about your life with, you can probably bring up what you’re going through. Think back to when you started your period, and old Aunt Flo first came to visit. Mortifying, right? Painful, both physically and emotionally. As women we’re past that, some of us have given birth and others not, all normal. This is easier to discuss because we’ve been through hundreds of menses. Now we’re older, more mature, and able to discuss life more easily than we were in our teen and preteen years. If you haven’t discussed this, try talking with your friends. They’re probably experiencing similar changes.

For those of us that must have our parts removed prior to the onset of menopause, depending on what’s removed, you may have rapid-onset menopause. Here again, your OBGYN can recommend hormone-replacement therapy to offset the symptoms of menopause.

The climacteric phase of life, when our ovarian activity begins to slow down and dwindle, continues through menopause and the end of ovarian activity. Some females experience no symptoms or experience them so mildly they may not notice.

It can feel mild, or like someone going through drug withdrawal. Talk about it. If you start to experience one or more of these symptoms, consult your provider, and get your hormone levels checked. Not getting help can cause more severe complications, like atrophic vaginitis, or thinning of the vaginal wall due to low estrogen. This can cause vaginal itchiness, pain with sex, urination urgency, and with sex can even lead to a tear in the vaginal canal, something none of us wants. People may discuss the changes with humor, but they can be serious if left untreated. Talk to your girlfriends, sisters and the females in your life.

I have found taking hormones to be a great way to alleviate these symptoms. Treatment forms vary — homeopathic, medication and even bioidentical hormone pellets that are put in your hips every three to six months. I recently switched from taking estradiol to these pellets, and have found them to be more effective for me.

The first step to finding relief is to talk with your provider. A nice thing about taking daily hormone pills is any adverse reaction can be quickly gone. It’s good to try options to see what works for you.

This is Hedda Fay reminding you that you’re not alone, and the symptoms you’re experiencing are part of living long enough to have them. Talk with your provider, your girlfriends and relatives. It’s part of the world sisterhood, and it’s okay to experience this.

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Next month: andropause!