Let me begin by sharing this. I am not a doctor. I am not selling a single thing. I am not a social media influencer, a fitness guru, or a women’s health advisor. I am not an advocate for anyone other than myself and my family. However, I do think if more women talked about what happens at this stage of life, we could all benefit.
Last week, I called my OBGYN to ask for an FSH test to find out where I am as far as menopause is concerned! It’s a simple blood test taken at the doctors office and relatively inexpensive! I believe it was around seventy five dollars and my insurance covered it! I’ve been having really pronounced symptoms for a few years, shared them with the nurse who passed it on to the doctor, and he agreed it should be done!
SIDE NOTE…PLEASE HEAR THIS…SYMPTOMS OF perimenopause can begin YEARS before menopause! Sometimes in your EARLY 40S! Don’t feel upset though, it’s actually a good thing to understand as you travel thru your 40s and 50s. And, just like everything else, it’s another phase to embrace, to tackle!
FSH stands for follicle stimulating hormone. It is up and down through a woman’s life but doctors have parameters that help them decide where you are! Before puberty it’s really low, during puberty and through pregnancy years it is generally what I’ll call mid range, then after menopause it goes way up! You may remember when we had our babies, the doctors checked our FSH levels! Don’t even ask me why…again, I’m not a doctor! If you do your research, most doctors suggest you have it taken more than once to get a good perspective on where you are.
So, I’ve done a ton of reading because of my crazy symptoms! Many things that were going on with my body I’ve just thought were either illness or screwed up me! How little did I know! Even with so many women all around me, I really only heard the obvious ones like no periods and hot flashes. My problem was that I’ve had a partial hysterectomy so with no period but still having ovaries, I didn’t know what to think. And, my life has been nuts! So naturally, I assumed most stuff going on was stress related (in other words, in my head). Isn’t it so funny how we woman don’t trust our bodies? Why do we do that to ourselves? I could truly just smack the me from a few years ago! We need to be our loudest advocate!!!! So , here is what I’ve been dealing with…
- Hot Flashes! A few years ago, I began having hot flashes! They were not constant, but once a week or so to begin with and then slowly increased in frequency. For me, a hot flash felt like a high fever that came and went in about thirty seconds. It built up, caused my heart to flutter, gave me a feeling like panic or anxiety, my body and face heated up, then sweating, and then faded slowly. Many of my friends said that I was too young to have them, so I was frustrated a bit fearing that I had some sort of an emotional problem. My family was truly topsy turvy crazy at that point, so in true blue female form, I assumed it was FUNCTIONAL rather than PHYSICAL.
2. UTIs. If you’ve had them, you know how miserable they can be. I began a few years back having UTIs multiple times a year! That was odd for me. After reading, a ton, and going to see a specialist at a urology center, I learned that this is not uncommon at all! If you have these symptoms, go to the doctor! I’ve had to be on antibiotics for mine, and they have great pain relief for the burning, feeling or urgency, and frequency!
3. Brain Fog and headaches. Yep, I’ve had both. The best way to describe the fog is that someone can be talking and I will fade away or only hear half of what they say. I’ll feel somewhat disinterested in hearing a long story or struggle reading a book. As far as headaches go, I’ve had an increase in migraines. Again, don’t assume menopause to begin with. Go to the doctor!
4. Weight gain and a shift in my curves. I could eat like a bird and still gain five pounds. I could run mile after mile, and still gain five pounds. My waist to hip ratio disappeared! Ugh!!! Thankfully, I am on a plan that has really helped that, but man it is frustrating! I follow a woman who is an OBGYN who has explained it medically, but just know, it’s part of it and oh so real! Find a plan that works for you and don’t freak out! Your body is beautiful and doing its thing!
5. Feelings and urges all over the map! It’s not like PMS, y’all. It’s bigger and not always negative! Sometimes it’s tearful, but other times it desire for my husband! Sometimes it is Joan of Ark strength, other times I want cookie dough and a sappy television show. Be aware of it and roll with it! Be honest with your spouse! He can be your biggest help!
6. Dry and itchy skin. So so odd, y’all! This is all over dry skin! Head to toe and everything in between! I keep Clinique and every stinking lotion in business these days! FYI, this is another reason that many women have UTIs and painful sex! Do your research!
7. Facial hair. ugh… It’s absolutely not as extreme for me as many other women, but it’s definitely part of it, y’all. The pandemic has made me be creative on how to handle it, but I have managed! lol!
8. And the WORST FOR ME… An inability to SLEEP! I am up a half dozen times each and every single night. It makes me exhausted to even share that with you! I first sleep, then begin with a massive hot flash, then review every aspect of the day, then menu plan for a month, I pray for everyone and everything, get absolutely furious, go to the bathroom, and then fall asleep again. An hour or two later? I repeat it all!
So, for those curious, here are my test results…
I tested POSTMENOPAUSAL numbers! Y’all, it was actually a RELIEF in almost every single way. My FSH level was 82! Postmenopause numbers thru my clinic show between 25.8-134.8.
My What’s Next? Deciding whether to go the HRT route (Hormone Replacement Treatment), vaginal estrogen, or letting nature just do its thing. I’m going to allow my OBGYN to help out with those decisions! Don’t feel or be alone!
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With Love and Humor, Kim
