When I was a teenager, I thought 25 was middle aged. Then it was age 35. Now I think of 60 year old women as being middle aged.
There is a lot of information out there about treating/dealing with/thinking about the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Most women have a lot of feelings about this topic and we often don’t discuss them because it only serves as a reminder to everyone around us that we are “over the hill” and useless for childbearing (yay!). I’ve done some research on the topic and would like to compare experiences, perceptions and ways of dealing with this with other women.
Any of you all interested in starting an email discussion group, please email me (email addy in my profile). And somebody open the windows, dammit, it’s HOT in here!
Jill
No hot flashes yet – and frankly, I wish the irregularities in my periods meant my cycles were getting longer, not shorter – but yeah, I’m definitely in perimenopause.
I was going to post something like this, but I kept forgetting while yelling at my kids for no good reason as I alternately fanned myself and threw on two extra sweaters, knocking off the reading glasses without which I could not read the fine print on the directions to the pregnancy test I decided to take because hell, I haven’t had my period in three months and it couldn’t possible be just cause I’m an old sack of infertile eggs just waiting to DIE, not that anyone would miss me since NO ONE APPRECIATES ME ANYWAY…
I think I’ll send that email now. Do we get a bonus pack of valium for joining before midnight?
I had been thinking about starting a thread asking for advice on this very subject. I missed the fine print where perimenopause is signalled by the period that never ends, with anemia for lagniappe. But as Salem put it so poetically, I’ve had other things on my mind.
E-mail sent. I can get by without valium as long as there’s chocolate.
Six people now on the list. I love this post - above - that encompasses some of the complexity of this age. First women are valued for their youth. Then they are valued for having kids (a good-looking guy approached me on the running trail the other day and says to me, “You’re Olivia’s mom, right?”). Then with menopause, we lose those things. We lose youth, we lose the ability to reproduce and it’s all thrown in our face for some of us by having lots of physical symptoms to remind us of this. Even those of us who don’t have kids or have kids but still manage to have a much bigger identity than being a mom, hobbies, interests, etc.; we can’t escape some of these feelings at menopause. Many women feel like it’s the best time of their lives; menopause and beyond. They feel free from a lot of the burdens and expectations they felt before. I think this discussion might be interesting, along with comparing notes on the biology and treatments for the physical part.
Menopause affects the men around women who are experiencing it, too. If any of you guys are interested in the broad gist of our discussion, email me and I will write up an occasional synopsis for you (without names or specific details).
Along with this message on the SDMB, I have emailed a number of women I know from all over the world, all ages (20 - 82). Seven people have responded so far.
Jill
twickster dear, will you pour me some tea? Jillgat, for God’s sake, open a window, before I pass out. Hand me my reading glasses, if you don’t mind Salem. Celyn, you did say your name was Celyn? Sorry, I forgot what I was about…[drifts off]
Speaking of non-sequiturs – koeeoaddi, are you still interested in the musicals group? You’re on the list to pick next after the current selection, the 1945 State Fair, but (ahem) I haven’t seen you participating in most of the discussions.
Sorry – let me just take off my sweater here and I’ll be fine. Oops, the reading glasses hanging around my neck got tangled in the sweater – waaaaaaaaah!
Oh, it’s simpler than all of that. Anybody who emails me and says they’re interested will go in a group in my address book. Then I will send out an email to everybody and everybody and anybody can email back to respond, tell their story, etc. Pugluvr, since you are EXACTLY a year younger than I (to the very day), I have a lot I could teach you. I remember when I was your age.
I have just emailed you, thanks for the great idea.
Last winter I clearly remember going Christmas shopping at the mall with some friends. Sweater, heavy coat, scarf, hat, you get the picture I am sure. Suddenly as we were walking together through the mall, I would stop and begin to peel off my outer wear and sweater, right down to my singlet if need be. Only to put it all back on a few minutes later when I caught a chill, (it is December, after all ).
Such a cruel, cruel joke nature plays on women. Anyway I really did think that hot flashes in the winter were the very worst, all that warm clothing, yikes.
Of course, that was until I had a hot flash on a hot and humid summer day. Of course you have no layers to peel off, one garment from naked as it were. Crueller still.
When I had my hysterectomy at 35, I was crushed to think that I’d only have the one child, but when the reality of no more periods sunk in, I was consoled. HRT kept me on an even keel till I turned 49 and my doctor told me I needed to get off the estrogen. I’ve had almost 2 years of hot flashes, and while they’ve been coming less frequently, they’re still an annoyance. But not as annoying as not being able to see without my specs.
Sorry kid:rolleyes: I just posted as my son. How does that happen? He hasn’t used this computer for a month. I hope I haven’t been impersonating him since September. :smack:
This may sound weird. Once in awhile, I miss having a full-on, crampy, messy period. I associate that with being young, libidinous and loaded with estrogen. I’ve been on BC pills (to control PMS) since 1987, so it has been years since I experienced a “youthful” period.
