Is it me or menopause?

A friend of mine recently went to the doctor to have blood tests. Feeling tired all the time, irritable, hot sweats and an array of other peri-menopausal symptoms she was basically looking for a hormone imbalance to determine the cause. When her results came back clear, she asked the doctor why it was that she permanently wanted to scream at something or someone and he told her she was simply busy and burnt out like most women her age.

I tell you this story not because she isn’t going through peri-menopause but to point out that hormones are not always going to clearly identify the symptoms you experience. Don’t wait for a blood test or a doctor to tell you your symptoms are justified, just recognise what you’re feeling and anything that helps you feel better.

I’ve done a lot of reading in the past couple of years after finding myself feeling sluggish and unable to concentrate. It led me on a journey from my GP to an Endocrinologist, a Gynaecologist and back to my GP. It was a learning curve that taught me a lot about what the female body goes through on the way to Menopause and the variety of symptoms women experience. I found out that my oestrogen levels were almost non-existent and that the pill or HRT were good options to starting to feel normal again. So that’s what worked for me, but everyone is different.

I’ve also realised that natural, unprocessed food keeps my energy levels stable. Unlike my previous diet that went from coffee to a morning tea sugar fix and back to coffee again, inevitably leading to the mid-afternoon crash I experienced most days. I also know that alcohol no longer agrees with me the way it used to, but that’s still an ongoing debate with my mind to see who wins out on different days.

Everything seems to shift around this stage of life, from where I carry weight to the dryness of my skin. There also seems to be a vitamin for everything, but for the life of me I can’t figure out which ones actually make a difference. At any rate, as I go through these ‘changes’ I no longer feel the need to classify them or justify how I’m feeling. And while everyone’s experience is unique we can all learn from each other and support one another. So be kind and try to be understanding the next time someone snaps at you for no reason. You just never know what they’re going through.