Peri-menopause?

[WhizzyWallclimber]

How does one even broach the subject that someone in their life could be peri-menopausal?

I'm wondering if someone I'm close to is experiencing symptoms but I'm genuinely unsure how to broach this, and if they would be angry if I did!

Make a joke of it to get the conversation going, if you are peri mention your symptoms and make it about you to begin with & see if it opens the conversation.

I'd be really worried that it'd be offensive and insensitive, I'm not peri-menopausal myself and the other party knows this.

I just notice symptoms, but I'm trying to work out if it's stresses of life/relationship issues/seasonal or actually is menopause symptoms.

Does it need raising? I'm perimenopausal with a few symptoms but I don't need other people pointing it out to me (and really wouldn't appreciate it tbh).

I don't know if I'm honest. I'm just concerned for them and hoping a vist to their GP could help with things like extreme fatigue, brain fog etc.

I'm by no means trying to point it out to be difficult, just wondering if they have considered menopause as a possible reason for feeling a bit rubbish.

What do you want to happen here ? What's the reason for asking. I say don't joke as it's really not laughing matter.
It's incredibly distressing for many and hard to navigate. I'd mention your mum had a rough time and you aren't looking forward to it. Or ask if she saw the davina programme if you're fixed on asking

No, far from it. I can't imagine how it'll feel.

I just hope I can encourage them to see their GP, and be able to talk to me about how they feel throughout.

Yes I will use my mum as a means to open the conversation.

How old is she? Has she told you she has brain fog because that's a hard one to observe if you are not in her brain. What is your relationship to her? If you are a male partner or friend you could mention you've listened to a podcast or watched a programme about it and how does she think she would want to best be supported when that time comes around for her? Alternatively if you are female yourself you could mention how you have been reading up to best prepare yourself.

Bear in mind if you do persuade her to go to the doc, a lot of GPs are not well trained and may assume fatigue etc can be tackled with multivitamins and iron. I told my friend who is 16 months younger than me of the miracle of HRT for me and she went straight to her GP concerned about her symptoms and was sent away with a recommendation to take multi vitamins. It was 3 years before she went back and in that time had developed such high levels of narkiness she genuinely was not pleasant to be around. Fortunately she got patches and is back to her normal self. I don't know if she realises she had such a personality change.