I say just find new places to hide the bodies......what?

LOL, JJ!
I hear THAT!
Dancer

Welcome dancer.

I'm 48...I think I'm slowly drifting into perimeno. time but it's overall painless to me. It appears to me, 1 day before my period comes, I do get a short instance of warm flush in my body..but it only lasts 10 min. or so. For whatever reason, it happens at night when I'm lying in bed.

My periods are simply shorter and less intense.

As for the so-called moodiness...at this time, whatever troubles/stresses I feel, are caused from external sources which I know can be coped if I completely change my attitude.... and keep on cycling...to destress.

You were a dancer/choreographer...then presumably you still exercise..I've heard long-term exercise and healthy diet can be helpful with the whole per, full menopause thing.

I just haven't researched this enough..because there's not much need for myself. I have heard from close acquaintances in person, who did require estrogen supplements since their hot flashes were powerful. Enough to make them blush and sweat the whole day.

And yes, I do eat tofu several times per month...I always have.. for past few decades.

This is something I don't even have enough fluencey my mother tongue language to discusss with my non-English speaking mother. I suspect she would think I would be overfussing too much....yeah, she is one tough mama. She has greater problems with her high blood pressure, gout and thyroid problems, that my peri is just incredibly minor and after all, healthy evolution. But she understood about heavy periods, etc.

I suppose I could ask my sisters. But it might be pointless/premature...since I am the oldest. Some of my friends just tell me that they are gaining weight in ways they never did before...

There are times I wonder if in North America we make such a big deal about menopause..as an illness....when it's a natural passage in a woman's life. It's not the same attitude in Asian communities.

If there could be a ritual that would signify positively that menopause is her next turning point for next good stage in life. It would psychologically at least, lessen the discomfort.

Hi Orchid and thanks for the advise. You are right, we must remember that it is a rite of passage for women and completely natural.

As to the gaining of weight, oh yes, it has to be watched very carefully after peri menopause sets in with or without HRT I am noticing. I do work out everyday still but even for me it requires that I am very careful with my diet. I feel that if I have to diet then I will just accept a weight gain because I live a healthy lifestyle!
It is the HRT I question because it helped me until my period stopped. When it stopped the hormones made me feel worse instead of better. When I had symptoms and was still having a period, the hormones were very helpful!

Now the hormones are great if you chop them up and put them in your shampoo for making hair soft and thick! ( No kidding, so do birth control pills!)

I'm sorry if you have symptoms that are hard. If stress is one of them I hope you are kind to yourself! I know I had to learn to be! You must be good to yourself and give time to yourself so you can continue to give to others, right?

Thank you again for your welcome and your post!

Dancer9

Hi all... I think maybe I'm on the other side of the peri/meno thing now and so far without any medication. My doctor hasn't suggested it and except for the occasional night sweat, I think I'm good. But boy, a few years ago, our 'girl trip' went to Santa Barbara, which is very near where we used to live.....and I was telling all my friends, who had never beeen there before how gorgeous it was and how the climate was so terrific...... yeah, well about that......there was an unusual heat wave. Like 104 of 106 and the place we stayed had no air conditioning. I thought I would die. I wished I would die. At one point I ducked into the Santa Barbara Museum (having ditched my friends with NO complaint from them) and as I was standing there trying to stop the shower that seemed to come from my scalp, a woman came in and took one look at me and came close and patted my arm ...."It's okay honey, you're going to make it through okay."

So far so good.

Welcome Dancer9, you'll love it here. Terrific people are here.

DreamrKate

Welcome Dancer9... you'll love it here. There are some wonderful women here.

So far in the perio/meno life period, I think I've come out on the other side with no real problems except the occasional night sweat. And so far, no drugs. And I can't really tell if I'm more irritable than usual because most dumb things irritate me anyway.

A couple of years ago though... I took our 'girl trip' to Santa Barbara. None of my friends had been there and I had told them how beautiful it was and how temperate the climate was.....yeah well, they had a heat wave - 106 I believe. And no air conditiong. ANYWHERE. I thought I would die. So, with no complaint from my girlfriends I ditched them one day while they were shopping, in search of some air conditioned business and ducked into the Santa Barbara Museum. It seemed like heaven at first and then I acclimated in about 20 seconds and the shower that seemed to come from my scalp just kept on coming. A woman came into the museum, took one look at me and headed over. She leaned close and just patted my arm and said "don't worry honey, it won't last forever."

So we're all sisters in the walk. So, don't worry honey, you'll come out of this fine.

DreamrKate

DreamKate!
I'm from Santa Barbara and my whole family is there! My extended family came from Venice, Italy to Santa Barbara and have been there for about 100 years! It's a lovely place, menopause or no!
100 degrees in Santa Barbara is REALLY hot for them! How sad! I'm sure you loved it though! I have to go home every year just to touch base!
dancer9

Anne, thanks for the reply. I've studied this thing until I can't anymore! I am trying to think of it as a normal part of life and that I'll get through it.
Good luck with your experiences and please post if YOU have any questions, ok?
Best to you,
dancer

I actually asked my doctor about it a couple of years ago and he thought it was nonsense, that you are either in it or not but that there wasn't much leading up to it. SO, love him I do, but won't be listening much to him anymore, not about female things anyway.

Kate

And yes, I love Santa Barbara. It's just about 40 minutes up from where I was raised as a child and my aunt and uncle lived there for years. My uncle was one of the first artists to start the Sunday Art Walk years and years ago, that has developed into a huge weekly thing.

K

Well, Kate, your uncle must have been cool indeed!
I had a doctor tell me the same thing once about terrible symptoms which I now know were peri-menopause and that hormones at that time would have helped! He did a test on me, told me I was not menopausal, and sent me on my way!
Not much help, huh?
I later found a female doctor, of course, who told me about HRT and that it was safer for younger women to take in perimenopause to make things easier. I took it for a long time and it eased everything up! She was able to help me navigate peri-menopause very well. I'm still in it but I started so young that now I am without a period for some months and find the HRT is not as helpful.
If you still have problems, the hormones are something to consider.
As to the doctor, if we all that so much "in our heads," they would burst! Male doctors say that, as he said to you, of that "my wife had that and ____________, most of the time his wife went ahead and suffered too because he didn't think it was anything.
I have a long and dramatic story that resulted in a lawsuit where I won 5 figures from a doctor that said it was "in my head," more or less...it's not safe to believe that.
dancer.
Good luck!