After a couple months of quiet slumber, my perimenopause has awoken! Oh how I have NOT missed you perimenopause.
I have been having night sweats all week. I have to admit, waking up soaked in sweat is… an unpleasant experience. I am thankful I haven’t had to deal with it too much so far, and I hope this isn’t the start of it being more common.
I’m also getting my period, which feels especially unfair. Boo perimenopause! You suck!
It’s strange because I’m the youngest person in my mom friend group (of seven women) by far. I’m 41 and everyone else is at least ten years older than me except for one woman who is 47. And yet I’m the only one going through perimenopause already. One of the women just had a baby! In her early 50s!
I love that my OBGYN says starting perimenopause anytime after 40 is “normal.” Please. That is such bullshit. I think what she means is it doesn’t require medical intervention (like hormone replacement therapy), which I’m thankful for. But it certainly isn’t “normal” to be 41 and going through perimenopause. Most of my mom friends had their daughters at 41 or later (that is why they are 10 years older than me!) 41 is young to be going through this, and it’s alienating and strange and is a reminder of my reproductive systems overall shittiness.
I’m also breaking out. And I’m feeling especially aggrieved, which isn’t a good look on a straight, white, cis gender woman of immense economic privilege so I’m keeping it to myself. I know it’s my hormones taking me for a ride, throwing me a one two perimenopause punch, but it still sucks.
All this to say, I’m very happy that I’m taking tomorrow off! I finished my sub plans at school today, and now I’m finishing some stuff for Monday, which is a prep-heavy day that I kind of forgot to get ready for. By tonight I should be able to put my work aside for 72 blissful hours. I am so glad that I took this day off. My last day off was Thursday, September 2nd*! It is clearly time.
*I obviously get lots of breaks, it’s not like I’ve been teaching every weekday since mid-August. But I don’t think of breaks as “days off” so this feels special. Taking a day off is actually a giant PITA, but tomorrow a bunch of stars aligned and I’m so happy that they did!
Rotten timing as you hit the day off! Hope your day went well and made you feel better and that the weekend was glorious and waaaaay less stressed.
Cheering you on.
(And remembering the evil early perimenopause I faced…… starting in my late 30s and taking a horridly long time…….. And the docs who didn’t think that was it when it was and all the yucky consequences of that in my day. GLAD THINGS are better actually with docs today and this stuff but OH MY do I wish you didn’t get to do this!
Wishing you well and hoping the new week and a counting down of weeks holds good hope.