The BIGGEST lie told to women about our middle age 

I don't usually get to comment b/c I watch youtube on my TV, but I had to come back to the website for this one! I'm 55, and had my last period in 2021 (so 3 years ago?); my first sign (which I didn't recognize at the time) was that my hair went from straight (my entire life) to wavy, and is now downright curly. Then the heavy irregular periods, followed by torrential floodlike irregular periods. Most of my symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog) actually showed up AFTER menopause; insomnia has been my lifelong "friend", and I'm not really sure if it's gotten worse or not (I have a very regimented sleep hygeine schedule to combat it, which usually works). I've also had vaginal atrophy, which I can treat, but because I have a clot history, I'm not a candidate for any other HRT, and I gotta say, it sucks! I'd do HRT in a second if I could! Both my mom and my gran had complete hysterectomies before they reached peri, so that's been no help in the "what is happening to me" column. I have to say, Robyn, I'm so glad you're talking about this on your channel; I think the more we talk about it and normalize it, the better off our society will be. We women are post-menopausal for up to around 1/3 of our lives, after all!

I'll be sixty next year. I went through terrible symptoms in my fifties. I had about a year of hot flashes and very heavy bleeding. In my experience, older women never warned us about any of this. As with most forms of sex education in a rural Alberta setting, I learned a bit in school and from the county nurse and the rest from books. I was lucky that I was working from home while my husband was away for a week or two at a time during the worst of it and literally spent many hours sitting on towels because the bleeding was so bad and lasted so long. I didn't dare go anywhere away from home at those times. The first time, I actually thought I might need to go to emergency. No-one had warned me about most of the symptoms that I suffered. If women speak more freely about this, then the next generation will be so much better prepared than most of us were. I shouldn't have had to go through this all alone, looking up symptoms on the internet and weeping because I just wanted the bleeding to stop. Older women need to talk to younger women, and listen to them as well. That sense that this is a disease and that there is some sort of shame attached to it needs to be eliminated. I agree wholeheartedly with Minimalist Home Living that these conversations need to be normalized.

I asked my doctor about 2 years ago if she thought I was going through Perimenopodus and she said no its way to early . I was 44 going on 45. I was exhausted all the time . Working and taking care of my at the time 2 year old grandson and new born granddaughter. Jump ahead to today I am post Menonopas . And feel like I am getting more Symptoms now then I did then .

So very thankful for your channel ❤❤❤ I'm 49 and experiencing terrible fatigue. NEED to declutter so badly but don't have the energy 😢. Both my parents have alzheimers/dementia. So I'm concerned about that too!

So grateful to have found your community. I turned 40 this year and starting to think I may be in very very early stages as having some strange symptoms (I.e. increase of migraines in regularity and intensity, insane hay fever). Communities like yours are so important and how wonderful to have women before me willing to open up and share. Thank you ☺️

I made a sort of diary of mine for my 2 girls. I didn’t know anything about my Mama except she cried a lot.

I loved this video and it’s made me love you more .

I just turn 40 years old n I'm going through have of stuff I talking bout I go next month to see a GI doctor because I be having lower back pain n hip pain both hips tail bone pain rectum pain uterus pain n pelvis pain n to get a colonoscopy but Im trying to get a hysterectomy cause I'm tired of them all it's time for an eviction notice

Funniest episode of "All In The Family" was when Edith started menopause. I never knew a thing happened to me except that there was something missing in my monthly routine. I guess I lucked out.

At age 37 I had an endometrial ablation procedure that stopped my menstrual cycle completely, so I never knew when I was in perimenopause. Fast forward, I'm now 63 and menopause has come on with a vengeance! Insomnia is driving me nuts (body does not want to sleep until almost sunrise no matter how early I try to go to bed and try to stick to a proper sleep schedule), but worse of all are night sweats. I wake up drenched from head to toe and sheets wet; I have a fan right by the bed for this reason, but when every pore in my body decides to open up and let go, I could stand in hurricane gale force winds and still sweat! I get mini hot flashes during the day, off and on, but nothing compares to night. And Robin, I understand your concerns about dementia/Alzheimer's. My family's track record sounds comparable to yours. My dad and his three brothers had Alzheimer's; their mother and 7 of her 8 siblings all had Alzheimer's (the 8th sibling died from a heart attack before middle age, so if not for that he most likely would have developed Alzheimer's).

So...puberty, periods, pms, pregnancies, post partums, perimenopause, menopause. Yep, that's our reality.

I’ve been anxious all my life, but it’s ramping up lately. So are my migraines. I attributed it to life circumstances, but maybe some of it’s due to perimenopause. I’m 54 and have other perimenopause symptoms.

The medical community has not treated women appropriately for menopause.

Let me tell you...I was bleeding almost all the time. The pain also associated during the heaviest periods gradually became almost unbearable. I had a female GYN, whose solution was everyday taking birth control...along with a couple of painful biopsies. Along with this was waking up covered in cold sweat, irritability and then trying me on Premarin, which made it worse. Finally switched to a male GYN, who listened and believed me. Solution was a hysterectomy...which of course threw me into full menopause for a while, then post. HRT was tried, not a good thing due to side effects, which was sad because for the first time I actually felt great. Yep, from perimenopause to post, then done.

I was told menopause lasted 10 yrs. I thought I was in menopause now. But I guess I am post-menopausal. When I was perimenopausal I was borderline anemic. Doctor placed me on iron. I use to suffer from depression but that has cleared up. Perimenopause was a nightmare but post-menopause is not so bad.

I am 56 and in menopause. When I was going through perimenopause I thought I was going crazy 🤣 I tried talking to my mom (who grew up in the age where you don't talk about those things) and she said she never had symptoms. She just woke up and didn't have it anymore. She was no help to me. I ended up going to the library and getting the book Female Brain Gone Insane by Mia Lunden. That helped me so much. Thank you for talking about this!

Dr. Phil, Orpah, Golden Girls???!! The USA hasn't done you any favors exporting those programs.

Mel Robbin’s podcast touches on this topic and research.

Progesterone ONLY if you still have your uterus. If you've had a hysterectomy, estrogen only. Testosterone as needed if your labs show very low. T helps preserve muscle, bone, and libido.

I am almost 53 and been perimenopausal for "only" about 3 years (and I've had my period since I was 11!). I will honestly go nuts if it should last another 7 years or so. It's not just the bajillion syptoms, it's also the fact that we still get periods and all the annoying stuff that goes with them. I hardly ever get a "day off", I always have at least one thing going on and it's exhausting, both physically and mentally. The day menopause will (at last!) come and say hello will be an amazing day for me!

Had around 10 years of symptoms and feeling awful, before I got treated. Wish I'd been offered it 10 years ago

As the youngest of 9 siblings with 6 of us being females, I asked my sisters questions. Some wouldn't discuss it, others would barely answer and change the subject (I was in my 40's!). I did my own research. As I was going through perimenopause, I told my daughter AND daughters-in-law, what was happening. I did NOT want them to be blindsided like I was. When I started posting things on FB about it, my sisters were HORRIFIED! I explained to them that women have been left behind, medically, far too long. I was NOT going to be silenced about something that happens to so many females and no one explains anything! (Sorry, rant over.) Anyhoo... I had a menopause party that featured strawberry filled cupcakes 🧁 and tampon tiaras 👑 🤣

I’m 62 years old now. I went through the sweats while I was working. Suddenly I would have an extreme heat start at my lower back and pushed up to my face, not fun but not detrimental either. At age 49 I had my second last period, at age 50 exactly I had one more period week and then done, never to have again. That part was easy and I was very glad it happened that way.

Lucky Taylor Swift! LOL Very fun & clever video Robyn! I loved it! 🌺

So at what point do you start HRT?

My mom had a perfect cycle, always on time, very little cramping, light flow, very little pms and went through a horrible perimenopause. My experience was the total opposite. Horrible, horrible periods. When I started going through perimenopause I spoke with my GYN about the heavy periods. We sat down and discussed my options, and came up with the IUD that has hormones (for pregnancy prevention) and it was the best decision for me, my period eventually ceased and basically I had a wonderful perimenopause. I am post menopausal and I love it! I still get some light hot flashes (worse if I am having alcohol) and some night flashes. But I will take it any day over before.

Thank you for bringing this topic up😊.

It was probably Clary Sage that your mom used for hot flashes. That essential oil smells like tea so you'd probably love it!

The Women's Health Initiative ruined it for all of us! Unless you can afford to go to a functional medicine doctor, regular doctors will not give you HRT.

Grateful to folks like you and Dr Mary Clare Haver talking about the cardiac and cognitive problems caused by not doing HRT. I am perimenopausal and need all this info!