To beg other women to stop putting everything down to perimenopause

[CurdinHenry]

It's so undermining for female interests at every level

Everything is not menopause, ok?

Agree!

Fully agree - there’s a risk of misdiagnosis and also as someone who stayed in work full time and built a good career after having two girls it is infuriating that having got past the prejudice that surrounds maternity and motherhood I now risk facing stereotypes around menopause.

It hasn’t affected me badly at all, certainly doesn’t impair my work. And it is very noticeable that successful female execs are not talking about this…

Totally agree. It’s utterly patronising. As if we weren’t medicalised enough, now we get a whole extra decade of ‘pre’ issues. What’s next, pre-peri? It’s ridiculous.

If I'm symptomatic I will go to the doctor and I expect an investigation based on those symptoms alone, not an outdated patriarchal idea that female bodies are in a constant state of deficiency of one form or another. It’s a social stigma as old as time and I refuse to subscribe to it.

Totally agree - improving awareness is one thing, basically "being alive" being described as peri menopause is another.

We are definitely swinging to the latter now.

There's rather a difference between women TELLING you that they're suffering from perimenopausal symptoms and the rest of the world telling women that it's perimenopause each time she has any symptom of anything.

Which one are we talking about?

And I can't quite believe the dick above who actually said:

"It hasn’t affected me badly at all, certainly doesn’t impair my work. And it is very noticeable that successful female execs are not talking about this…"

I agree.

The consultant at The NHS menopause clinic told me my symptoms were psychological.
And as my HRT was optimal, it was clearly my mental health that was the issue.

What was wrong was that I have Sjogrens Syndrome.
Years of being dismissed by the so called experts...

But this is the case for many women. For every woman struggling with peri there is another who isn't.

I think it’s such a weird age-late 30’s , early 40’s where often I find women can be hit with peri symptoms. I am this age group and loads , in fact nearly all my uni friends have babies , ttc or very small kids , I’ve preteens and teens .
The absolute last thing they want to talk about or think about is peri menopause.. I totally get that. However I’ve had symptoms over the last year in particular that have been horrendous, that amazing relief from a period is gone completely, it’s like having pms all.the.time. Many women find a sudden onset of symptoms and think they are going mad and it’s just their hormones fluctuating. I think overall it’s better to be informed.

What are your qualifications on the menopause? Having attended a meeting tonight with a qualified medical professional who specialises in menopause, the likelihood is that yes, it is peri or menopause.

I thought I was aware of some of the weirder symptoms, but after tonight's discussion, I clearly wasn't.

If symptoms start around your 40s and all the usual suspects (cancer, thyroid, vitamin deficiencies, anaemia etc) have been ruled out, it is likely your hormones.