Menopause Diaries
The Peri Menopause swing, periods and Menopause Awareness Month.
When I look back, I realise that I was experiencing peri-menopause symptoms for quite some time. The cold extremities, the itchy skin and flaky ears (!) but it was probably the insomnia, or more accurately the waking up after 4/5 hours and being unable to get back to sleep was the thing that made me realise, things were changing.
Insomnia
Sleep is one of the most important things we can do for our health and I speak as someone who has always been very good at sleeping! I never envisaged I’d have a problem getting my 8 hours a night, in fact on the odd weekend, I’d get even more shut eye. About 6 months ago there was a sudden dramatic shift and I started waking up around 5am. I’d drop off fine around 11pm but try as I might I’d wake up and not be able to drop off again. I tried going to bed earlier, falling asleep at 10am but I’d just wake up at 4am!
To take or not to take HRT - that is the question......
Last year I started experiencing odd symptoms, including very dry and flaky ears (who knew?!) I only found out this could be a symptom of Menopause when I happened to read a Menopause thread on Michelle Heaton’s Instagram page, where people were sharing their symptoms. It wasn’t the only odd thing that had started to happen, so I called my (usually excellent) Doctors surgery. The female doctor told me to come to the surgery, take my own blood pressure in reception, and weigh myself and then call back – they didn’t do blood tests. She wasn’t in the slightest bit interested in a conversation about the Menopause.
Menopause tips from Women who’ve ‘been there’.
As I approached Menopause and started to experience symptoms, I decided to reach out for advice. I lost my own mother when I was 26, so I never had the chance to ask her, but I’d seen countless women go through it and if I’m honest, I hadn’t taken much notice. Looking back, I’d seen the sudden hot flushes – the most noticeable symptom and probably complained when they opened a window, mid-winter! I’d no doubt rolled my eyes when they had become short tempered for seemingly no reason.
