So who needs the word post anyway? It just makes us feel past-tense or past expiration.
What I am trying to say in my very verbose Valorie fashion is:
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Menopause is a process that has a collection of symptoms, some showing up early in the transition, others emerging later, each telling us something different about what the body is doing.
- Entering Menopause
- Middle Menopause
- Deep Menopause
So let’s get to the heart of this article. This is going to be a series:
- This newsletter: Entering Menopause (Symptoms and Remedies for the onset of menopause)
- Next newsletter: Symptoms and Remedies of Middle and Deep Menopause
One quick note about menopause. In true menopause, your ovaries have retired and are no longer working. They gave their notice in mid-peri to the in-betweener phase and have checked out by the time you are in menopause.
If you are making estrogen yourself, then you are not in menopause. This is important when treating women with hormone balancing. You treat a peri vs. an in-betweener vs. menopause quite differently.
For those of you who know me, I love a good story to do the explaining:)
Eliza is Entering-Menopause:
‘Hello, earth to Eliza! Eliza, where are you??
Where is my brain? I swear I am a smart woman. But people must be thinking I am smoking the wacky tobaccy. Because I cannot seem to find my words, remember someone’s name, ask the same question over, and I have never used the word ‘um’ so much in my life.
Is it because I have not been sleeping well? I either wake up in the middle of the night, super hot and sweaty, or wake up wet and shivering. Yes, they are hot flashes, bc I am also getting those during the day. So maybe that is why I am tired and can’t think, bc my sleep is so messed up.
My periods stopped about 6 months ago, so of course, I am going through THE MENOPAUSE. But I just didn’t think it would be this intense.
I have gained 15 lbs without changing a thing. I still exercise and eat healthy with lots of protein, and I love vegetables. But this belly and muffin top have to go!
I’m just so achy. My joints have been achy in the past, but they are much worse. My GP says my labs are all normal and I am healthy. But he is recommending that I see a rheumatologist bc of this unexplained joint pain. But I think it’s my hormones that are causing this joint pain. Of course, I will follow up and make sure, but I never felt this bad until recently.
I’ve been so crabby lately. And I get so startled and annoyed by every little thing, especially sounds. I even yelled at the birds outside with their chirping, and I’ve always loved the birds singing in spring. I feel like I am just so on edge, so bad, even my hair is shedding like crazy and feels so dry and thin. Please tell me this is not my new normal.’
Eliza’s body is undergoing a major change right now. It started in perimenopause, but for Eliza, it intensified with the cessation of her ovaries and menopause. Her body is shifting and adapting to the drop in estrogen, as her progesterone levels left the building in perimenopause.
Entering Menopause:
Just like when your favorite employee quits with no replacement, there is going to be some acute reshuffling of the entire system.
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Night shivers
- Dropping words
- Forgetful
- Repeating yourself
- Wondering if you have dementia (you don’t)
- Weight gain
- Hair thinning and becoming more fragile
- Now the gray is not menopause, we earned those, and they are pretty (just not pretty on me)
- More joint pain
- Lower libido
- Mood more anxious and irritable
- Fatigue
- Labs can be normal
- Hyperascoutic or just hard to drown out the background noise
Next, you might be wondering, well, when does entering, middle, or deep menopause happen, and how long does it last?
That is the magic question, because we are all unique individuals.
But broadly speaking, in my clinical experience:
- Entering Menopause: can last 6months to 2years
- Middle Menopause: can last up to several years 1-3
- Deep Menopause: until the end of days
But the main concept to understand is this: menopause is not a single event; it is a prolonged transition.
While the early changes are often very noticeable, it is in the later stages that the shifts become more subtle and insidious, moving into deeper metabolic patterns such as an increase of :
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Insulin resistance
- Changes in brain health, including an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease
- Osteoporosis
- Sarcopenia
- Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea.
Well, what can we do?
The question becomes:
- What can we do to support the body through menopause symptoms while also protecting long-term metabolic, brain, and bone health?
- So how do we strategically support the body through this transition?
Well, let’s get to strategy!
Strategically, it is best to start to address these symptoms and women’s health and longevity earlier in perimenopause.
But I get it, some women were denied treatment, blown off through their different stages/phases of perimenopause, in-betweener, and menopause. Or some women felt great…until they didn’t, and at that point were ready for intervention.
Want to see strategies that can help the many Eliza(s)out there entering-menopause? Upgrade to read the full article.
How Eliza Got Herself Back:
No, she did not take an amazing trip to Jamaica and realize that she is vibrant and capable of joy without burnout, control, and hyper-responsibility… not to mention canoodling up with a tall glass of water, Taye Diggs.
But she did find that entering menopause is not a one-way road to being past-tense, post-woman…a crone.
‘What a relief! I mean, for the first time, I feel like I have hope, and I am feeling better. I am not alone in this menopause-’thing.’
Every woman goes through this, and we do not need to be silent about it. And I am not ready to be put on the shelf like a doll no one wants to play with.
What I do know is that I need to work harder for my health than I did when I was younger.
I know I need to be more mindful of taking care of myself, what I put into my body, and how I treat it.
I also know I need to put myself first and prioritize my health.
But finally, I feel better and actually feel empowered to take control of my health and longevity. There is no putting this gal out to pasture, unless I’m running barefoot in that pasture with my dogs, and the sun on my face (and a Taye Diggs wouldn’t hurt).
I am taking my supplements (yes, a good handful of them). But these are targeting my entrance into the menopausal stage. I have started a low dose of HRT bc I want to go low and slow bc I am a sensitive Sally, AKA Easily-Effect-Eliza. I have more energy, and I am sleeping so much better. With the energy, I am able to work out and feel like I have lost the weight I gained. My diet is still great as it always has been. But most importantly, my brain is back! I can think of words, remember my words, names, books, movies, places, you name it. AND, no more ums, I am outta um-ville.’
The goal of menopause is not to survive in confusion, but to rise through it with intention. Entering-menopause can be, sorry to sound dramatic, but it can be traumatic, mentally and physically. There is no need to ignore it, mask it so no one knows, or just wait for it to get better. I believe that even just learning the physiology behind hormonal changes can feel empowering, so you can decide what actions you do or don’t want to take. Remember, there are so many paths to take when entering-menopause, and your path can be your own unique trail, journey, or approach.
-Dr. Valorie
