It seems unreal when I think about how perimenopause crept in quietly without too much fanfare in my late 30s and early 40s. It wasn't too bad I had minor symptoms but it was bearable.
Then all of a sudden, in 2018, after my menstrual cycle abruptly ended at 46, menopause became my living nightmare. It crept up and consumed me. I slid slowly into an abyss of unexplained joint pain, hot flashes, brain fog, exhaustion, a nonexistent libido, and depression.
If I could advise young women of anything, it would be to avoid menopause. But sadly, that's not a reality. Fatigue, night sweats, osteoporosis, hot flashes, sweating, insomnia, dryness, anxiety, irritability, low libido, moodiness, and vaginal dryness that is my everyday reality with menopause.
All these symptoms converging at once meant my day-to-day life changed a lot. I was either in too much pain or too exhausted to work, socialize, or do much of anything. My world got smaller as I withdrew from activities and things I once enjoyed.
I was falling behind on work, missing deadlines, and going days without doing anything, as I usually used any energy reserves I could muster to deal with family-related issues. I tried to ensure that my husband and kids felt supported even as I grew worse each day.
I barely slept more than two or three hours a night, increasing my brain fog and fatigue. I was battling migraines daily and staring at a reflection in the mirror I didn't recognize. My body had turned on me and left me wondering whether I faced death or institutionalization first.
My husband is nine years younger than me and still has a high libido. That was a massive plus during the peri phase because my libido was also in overdrive. The decline began once I hit menopause; my libido was almost nonexistent.
Painful intercourse can be a dealbreaker for many women, and vaginal dryness is a real issue. But I was determined for it not to break me.
I didn't want to be the discarded middle-aged wife whose younger husband decided that working through menopause was too much effort.
We still had sex regularly, as I was intent on keeping the dream alive despite my lack of arousal. I was willing and able, so I did. I still found my husband attractive and wanted to continue our robust sex life, so I used what little I had left in the tank to ensure we kept that connection going.
Enter, lube; all kinds of lube. We've tried them all with varying degrees of success. It took lots of trial and error to settle on one we both liked. Adding lube made it easier for me to transition into this new version of our sex life.
In May 2022, I reached my breaking point. I realized that using any scrap of sanity or energy I had on others couldn't continue. It became unsustainable for me, my husband, our family, or our business.
I made an appointment with my doctor and my therapist to explore options. After lots of tears, tests, and bloodwork, I began taking bioidentical hormone-replacement therapy, or BHRT, at the end of June.
To say that the change has been life-giving is an understatement. I'm now a month along, and my symptoms have almost vanished. The most bothersome like hot flashes and daily migraines left immediately. The other symptoms dryness, brain fog, lack of sleep, joint pain, and low energy have steadily improved each day.
I don't know that BHRT is for everyone, but it was the right choice for me. The turmoil that menopause can create in a woman's life is scary. The fear of becoming a statistic is gone, and I have my life back and no longer worry about disappointing my family and friends.
Cindy Rodriguez Constable is a communication strategist, freelance journalist, and professional speaker.You can follow her here.
Continue reading here:
Woman shares the frustrations of going through menopause at age 49 - Insider
- Pharmac seeking bids from suppliers to fund another type of hormone replacement therapy - New Zealand Doctor Online - April 5th, 2024
- What is Hormone Replacement Therapy and how safe is it? - PinkNews - March 19th, 2024
- Menopausal Hormone Therapy | Johns Hopkins Medicine - January 6th, 2024
- Find a Provider - Biote - January 6th, 2024
- Biote Certified Providers By State - Biote - January 6th, 2024
- Is Hormone Replacement Therapy Right for You? What to Know - Motherly Inc. - January 6th, 2024
- Hormone Replacement Therapy - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf - February 6th, 2023
- Natural hormone replacement therapy: How it works - Medical News Today - February 6th, 2023
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) - Types - NHS - December 27th, 2022
- Helping Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer ThedaCare - ThedaCare - October 13th, 2022
- 'How Hormone Replacement Therapy Impacted My Strength Training' - Women's Health - October 13th, 2022
- This Simple Blood Test Gives Incredible Insights Into Building Muscle Mass - Yardbarker - October 13th, 2022
- Take strides to raise awareness of breast cancer - Theredstonerocket - October 13th, 2022
- Breast cancer and hormone therapy | GNP online - brytfmonline.com - October 13th, 2022
- Early detection matters | Marshall Medical employee recounts her breast cancer journey - Sand Mountain Reporter - October 13th, 2022
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) - Benefits and risks - NHS - October 4th, 2022
- Thyroid Hormone Replacement Therapy | Johns Hopkins Medicine - October 4th, 2022
- Prescribing HRT in women with migraine The Medical Republic - The Medical Republic - October 4th, 2022
- Caring for the gynecologic needs of the adolescent patient - Contemporary Obgyn - October 4th, 2022
- Im a GP heres the best way to treat acne and when to see a doctor... - The US Sun - October 4th, 2022
- State-by-state prevalence of the 5 most common types of cancer - KFOR Oklahoma City - October 4th, 2022
- How Menopause Affects Cholesterol And What to Do About It - TIME - September 25th, 2022
- Stroke symptoms in men & women - Times of India - September 25th, 2022
- Turn back the clock with collaborative care solutions Peace Arch News - Peace Arch News - September 25th, 2022
- Health benefits of flaxseed - Punch Newspapers - September 25th, 2022
- Progesterone Market Size to Grow by USD 1.23 Billion, Rise in Research and Development of Progesterone Drugs -Technavio - Yahoo Finance - September 25th, 2022
- Hormone Replacement Therapy for Menopause - Healthline - September 16th, 2022
- Hormone Replacement Therapy Market to Hit Value of $29.65 Billion by 2028 | Looming Shortage HRT Products to be a Key Challenge - GlobeNewswire - September 16th, 2022
- This Is How Long It Takes For Hormone Replacement Therapy To Start Working - Health Digest - September 16th, 2022
- Progesterone to be fully funded for all who need it in 'a welcome change' - Stuff - September 16th, 2022
- Contributor: In the Misdiagnosis of Menopause, What Needs to Change? - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network - September 16th, 2022
- Premenstrual syndrome: Real-life impact and coping strategies - Medical News Today - September 16th, 2022
- Why you should be paying attention to Ohio Supreme Court races - News 5 Cleveland WEWS - September 16th, 2022
- When You Take Vitamin C Every Day, Here's What Happens Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That - September 16th, 2022
- Using HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) - breast cancer - September 8th, 2022
- Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy for Men - September 8th, 2022
- Hormone Replacement Therapy for Over 60s | Gransnet - September 8th, 2022
- Rethinking "The Change": Discover 40+ Ways to Embrace Menopause - PR Newswire - September 8th, 2022
- Seven days in medicine: 31 Aug to 6 Sep 2022 - The BMJ - September 8th, 2022
- If Covid Distorted Your Sense Of Time, Don't Panic: You're In The Majority - Kaiser Health News - September 8th, 2022
- Hot Flashes Can Impact Up to 80% of Women So Why Arent We Talking About It? - SheKnows - August 30th, 2022
- F*cking Ridiculous! Scotland Is Championing Menopause But Got One Big Thing Wrong - Suggest - August 30th, 2022
- Hunter Schafer Criticized For Appearing to Agree With Anti-Nonbinary Post - Newsweek - August 30th, 2022
- Gender Dysphoria Is Now Protected Under the Americans With Disabilities Act and It's a Pretty... - POPSUGAR - August 30th, 2022
- Boxing New Zealand supports open category in Olympic style boxing - New Zealand Herald - August 30th, 2022
- Doylestown Turns The Town Teal For Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month - Patch - August 30th, 2022
- The far right aims to eliminate trans people But the working... - Liberation - August 30th, 2022
- Hormone Replacement Therapy Will Be Available Over-The-Counter In The UK In SeptemberWe Wish The U.S. Would Follow Suit - Suggest - August 22nd, 2022
- To Your Good Health: Length of hormone treatment depends on the individual - Agri-News - August 22nd, 2022
- Menopause: Symptoms, causes, complications, diagnosis and treatment - Rising Kashmir - August 22nd, 2022
- How to Treat and Prevent Melasma with Nutrition - Intelligent Living - August 22nd, 2022
- How to eat and exercise for menopause: why you should prep now - Stylist Magazine - August 22nd, 2022
- 4 Real-Life Dating Tips for People Living with Alopecia - Everyday Health - August 22nd, 2022
- Cardiovascular health in the menopause transition: a longitudinal study of up to 3892 women with up to four repeated measures of risk factors - BMC... - August 22nd, 2022
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) | Health Navigator NZ - July 3rd, 2022
- Hormone-replacement therapy: current thinking - PubMed - July 3rd, 2022
- With 6.1 % CAGR, Hormone Replacement Therapy Market Size worth USD 21.49 billion by 2028 Industry Trends - Benzinga - July 3rd, 2022
- Lower Hormone Levels Linked to Risk of Sleep Apnea - Medscape - July 3rd, 2022
- Menopause and Sensitive Teeth: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments - Healthline - July 3rd, 2022
- 8 Bad Habits Leading to Breast Cancer Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That - July 3rd, 2022
- Open, honest conversations key in reducing LGBTQ health disparities - WFYI - July 3rd, 2022
- Stopping Hormone Replacement Therapy: Cold Turkey Menopause - Breastcancer.org - July 3rd, 2022
- What the Reversal of Roe Means for the LGBTQ+ Community - Progressive.org - July 3rd, 2022
- Top 10 Hormone Replacement Therapy Industry to Look Out for in 2022 by Abbott Laboratories, Novartis, Pfizer, Inc., Mylan Laboratories - Digital... - June 22nd, 2022
- University of Medicine and Health Sciences to Host "LGBTQ+ Medicine & Theory: Providing Compassionate Care" - Yahoo Finance - June 22nd, 2022
- International Yoga Day: Womens health & yoga - Times of India - June 22nd, 2022
- Exelixis Announces Initiation of the STELLAR-303 Phase 3 Pivotal Trial Evaluating XL092 in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer - Yahoo Finance - June 22nd, 2022
- 7 Strong Buy Dividend Aristocrats Are Safe-Haven Stocks to Own During a Recession - 24/7 Wall St. - June 22nd, 2022
- Hormone-Replacement Therapy Is Life-Changing: What to Consider Before Getting Started - POPSUGAR - June 13th, 2022
- High Doses of Widely-Used Cancer Drug in Hormonal Therapy Can Increase Risk of Brain Tumour in Women by Seven Times | The Weather Channel - Articles... - June 13th, 2022
- Latest study reveals that two male contraceptive pills could expand options for birth control - Interesting Engineering - June 13th, 2022
- Pride Week: Beginning Hormone Replacement Therapy : Short Wave - NPR - June 13th, 2022
- The heartbreak, hope and courage of a Maine transgender child - The Maine Monitor - June 13th, 2022
- Trans conversion therapy: What to expect when MPs debate ban - Open Democracy - June 13th, 2022
- If the menopause movement is to be truly revolutionary, it needs to include women with cancer - iNews - June 4th, 2022
- The Very Peri Summit Resource Centre: Hormone Replacement Therapy with Dr Yasmin Tan. - Mamamia - June 4th, 2022
- Finding the "Sweet Spot": Thyroid Hormone Treatment and Cardiovascular Disease - Endocrinology Network - June 4th, 2022
- Rethinking Identity and Testosterone in Imagine a Body - The New Yorker - June 4th, 2022
- Postmenopausal Years Are Creative and Satisfying for Women - Oprah Mag - June 4th, 2022
- Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Market by Type (Oral, Parenteral), Application (Contraceptive, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Treatment of Endometriosis,... - May 15th, 2022