Menopause Madness

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Disclaimer: there is probably going to be some TMI for men in this discussion. At least I hope so, so you have been fairly warned. Transversely, if you are interested, at all, in what your woman might be suffering then read on McDuff. Maybe it will help men understand this "Menopause Madness". I've often heard women exclaim, "I can't WAIT to get rid of my period and start menopause." Oh dear child, be careful what you wish for. I would take my period era back in a heartbeat. Here are just a smattering of what menopause has to offer to we women. 1. My hormones went on a sabbatical. Labwork showed, nothing, nada, zip. In the words of my Dr, " your hormones are non registering. " Hormones are vitally important for a normal lifestyle. Read up on hormones and you'll be amazed the roles they play in the human body. To have " non registering" hormones was not what I wanted to hear. 2. No sex drive. Directly related to no hormones. Not a low sex drive...NO sex drive. It was as if sex became a non word, a non issue. It just didn't come into my thoughts AT...ALL. Enjoy that little known fact about hormone havock and menopause madness. Your woman may not even THINK about sex as a part of life because of what she is suffering. It isn't ABOUT you, it's about what is happening to her body that she has NO control over. 3. Drs seem to know VERY little and some care even less. Finding a Dr that does know anything or care to help you is just another super fun aspect of this journey. (Note the sarcasm). 4. Unless you are one of the rare ones, you're going to be in the perimenopause/menopause era for a very long time. 10 years is normal. Women are considered perimenopausal when they start to show symptoms(which are varied and vast). We aren't considered IN menopause until we have missed our menses for at least 1 year. This happens to many women and bammo they start all over again with a surprise period. Menopause, itself, is considered the time AFTER that disappearance of our monthly friend, until you die. Really...that's how they see it in the medical community. 5. The lack of hormones can cause a plethora of "symptoms". I will only list a small smattering here: Weight gain Bloating Mood swings Depression Irritability Loss of sex drive Vaginal atrophy Vaginal dryness Pain during sex Headaches/migraines Changes to skin, hair and nails Loss of collagen Brain fog Loss of muscle mass, resulting in loss of strength and stamina. Fatigue I could go on and on but I don't think anyone would keep reading, or maybe forget why they wanted to read this in the first place. Remember those pesky hormones? Well, our adrenals are hormones and related to hormones as well. Fatigue was listed. Adrenals play a big part in our energy and ability to function normally on a daily basis. Adrenal fatigue is more common than people realize. Vast levels of high stress, which who HASN'T suffered from that these last two years on top of normal daily stressors, can lead to adrenal fatigue. Compound that with menopause and it's a true wonder that women are still here to take part in daily life. To say we are Wonder Women is an understatement. I'm proud that most of us are still functioning in these trying times. Ladies, what have you suffered during menopause? Please feel free to contribute.