Although the subtitle of this blog is “Encouraging Words for the Menopause Roller Coaster,” I must give you a
Whine Alert!
I thought the great day would come when we’d stop having periods.
No cramps.
No worrying about going sailing for six hours at that time of the month.
No birth control.
Just free wheeling.
I figured the definition above, which I snipped from a Google search of “menopause,” was an honest one.
Not!
Menopause is so much more.
No cramps slips into other concerns: achy feet, insomnia, extra dry skin, weight gain, bloating, and on and on….
No birth control remains a blessing, but one’s enthusiasm can wane when vaginal dryness and atrophy appear.
I was tricked!
No one warned me, really.
Or maybe they did, but I missed it.
Menopause, physically, is not simply the cessation of periods and the end to the possibility of pregnancy.
I cry NOT to the definition above. Or perhaps that should be “THAT’S NOT ALL!”
Do I wish I had known?
Yes!
I’m of the forewarned is best persuasion.
The Girl Scout motto “Be prepared” stuck with me.
What about you?
There’s plenty to celebrate with The Great Pause.
Liberation from some of the “shoulds” and “musts.”
A willingness to toss out what’s not working.
The courage and confidence to find new hobbies, activities, travels, relationships, and even careers.
The mind-changing stuff rocks.
But to the physical stuff I say
Yikes and Yuck.
So what are the encouraging words?
Point one is that there are remedies, at least in part, for some of the ailments.
Point two is that the mind-changing stuff is cool.
Point three is that I think it’s time we
Save the Sisters!
Just like an older sister informs a younger one about periods, we should let those who come after us know what lies ahead.
I wish I’d been warned.
I would have appreciated my youth more.
And not been so shocked by the changes to my body.
So it’s time, with encouraging but honest words, to clue in the sisters.
Friend For The Ride 
Agreed! A little warning from the elder sisters is indeed much needed. We wouldn’t dream of not informing our young daughters of menstruation, so why are we hesitant (or neglectful) of telling our old daughters (and sisters, etc.) of menopause? And, as you point out, not just the facts, Ma’am. Let’s lay it out there for all to see and hear. There’s good and bad. Just like life. So, let’s spread the word. Thanks Barbara for sharing your thoughts. 😉
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I’ve tried to tell my own daughters, esp. in case something happens to me so that they have a bit of family history. Perhaps they are listening, but I can’t say they seem real interested.I still think they need to hear as do women say ten or so years younger than we are. I suppose those are the sisters we really need to reach!
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Hi Barbara,
I love it when you get riled up! In all honesty, menopause has been the roughest ride of my life and I do wish I had been forewarned, at the very least by my mother, who suffered through it in silence. I’ve given both my daughters a heads-up on this coming event in their lives. I hope I haven’t scared them to death!
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Ha! I’ll tell the hubby that you think it’s fun when I get riled up. Not sure he would agree but thanks!
I’m sure it’s shocking to our daughters. I remember thinking it was almost funny when I read some of this stuff years and years ago. Ha. I did NOT get the last laugh.
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Like everything it seems we are much more aware of medical changes than we were growing up. Whether it sex ed, menopause ed, mid life crisis, etc. everything’s much more out in the open. I say the more the information the better.
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You said it!
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My mother didn’t think we should talk about “things like that” so I was SURPRISED by my first period. My mother died long before I had a chance to ask about her experience with menopause but I wish we had talked about it.
I think it’s better to be informed instead of surprised!
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My mom never wanted to talk either. She’s alive and I suppose I could ask, but I still feel shy.
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OMG, I totally agree..I did not feel warned by anyone! No one talked about it until my 40s and then not much of a word. This is why I love this blog and hope young women get a chance to read it too!!!!
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Thanks Cheryl and thanks to you for your art, which focuses on the happy parts of the passage.
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I agree! Since my company sells wicking sleepwear for women who have night sweats, I am surprised that daily we get emails or phone calls from customers saying “Help”, or”I never knew there was something that would help”. Yes talk amongst ourselves!!
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And thanks to you for your sleepwear! http://www.haralee.com/
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I experienced some symptoms of menopause (following my hysterectomy) for about 3 months when my estrogen pills were not being absorbed properly. I. was. miserable!!!! I am now on a patch but won’t be on it forever (I’m 46 now) and am really dreading going through that again.
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I bet it will be more gradual this time. I’ve heard the surgical stuff is much worse.
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