Where am I in my journey with menopause?
I am in my fifth month without having a period. That doesn’t mean I’m in menopause yet. It could start again at any time. (I think I’m done though) (update: I’m not done…I started my period after 5 months when I started a natural progesterone cream for night sweats) I’m actually on the later side of menopause. Most of my friends have finished their periods and are well into menopause. I have been in perimenopause for at least 10 years. 
Only recently have I started having more severe symptoms like night sweats. Ugh! What’s interesting is they just came on all of a sudden. As soon as my period stopped they started happening almost every night! It seems like I have a little nausea too when I have night sweats, which makes me feel even more horrible when I wake up.
I am doing all things natural at the moment. For my night sweats, I am now wearing more lightweight clothing and less of them. I also keep my air conditioner at 71 degrees. (It gets expensive, but I have to do it). Recently, I got cooling sheets and they do seem to work for me. I also have recently bought cooling pillows and I like them too. (My daughter says something is wrong with me because I’ve bought so many pillows lately!) Because it’s getting warmer I stay away from hot baths and I’m taking cooler showers before I go to sleep. My lotion goes on in the morning because if I put it on before I go to bed, I find that my skin can’t breathe and my night sweats seem to be worse. Ice water is placed next to my bed before I go to sleep in case I get really hot during the night.
I do the night sweat dance: you know when you start burning up so you throw your covers off, only to be freezing 3 minutes later and pull your covers back up. Then your foot jets out of the covers to try and neutralize your temperature! This dance can go on for hours. For me, I usually sleep for about 4-5 hours and then I wake up feeling hot: so the dance begins. I wake up between 3:00 and 4:00 A.M. pretty regularly now. Sometimes I can go back to sleep and other times I cant. Regardless, it interrupts my sleep and makes me very tired in the morning. I also have had many nights where I haven’t slept at all!
Hot flashes are starting to happen more and more, and they seem to come on when I’m in a more stressful situation; Like when I’m standing up giving a presentation. I feel my chest or upper back start getting hot, and the heat climbs up my neck to my face. I then start sweating. I rarely drink hot drinks, (I can’t drink caffeine, so it’s not that hard for me) and I always have my water bottle, with ice, with me at all times. Hot drinks can definitely increase your body temperature and caffeine can increase your heart rate. I don’t drink much alcohol and when I do, I stay away from wine. Red wine really makes me sweat! It’s important to dress in layers. 100% cotton fabrics are the best, however, they do tend to cost more and you also have to iron them. I usually wear a short sleeve shirt with a sweater, sweatshirt or jacket when I work so that I can take off layers when I get hot. Living in California, it is sometimes really cold when I leave in the morning, but gets progressively hotter throughout the day. When I’m not working, I tend to wear shorts or yoga pants. I also wear a lot of open toed shoes. Yes, my feet sweat too! I’ve been trying to eat a healthier diet than I used to. I can’t say I’m perfect at the diet part yet, because I’m not… but I’m trying. I think the thing that is helping me the most is exercise. My current routine is that I mix up my exercising every day. I’ve realized that the things I used to be able to do are not the things my body can do now. I’m okay with that. I don’t get down on myself because I can’t do Zumba anymore. Because I have issues with my knee and ankle, I can’t dance much anymore. My routine consists mostly of yoga, walking, hiking, water aerobics and weight training.
I believe the weight training is crucial when we get into menopause. While lifting weights, you force not only your muscles but also your bones to work, it also helps improve your bone density. My exercise program consists of trying to go to the gym 3 days a week, and the other 2-3 days walking or doing yoga at home. I do take days off to give my body rest. Meditation and/or mindfulness is very important for me. Being a super high energy person, I have struggled with anxiety and panic attacks throughout my adult life. I have a horrible habit of over thinking everything and I stress about most things. However, I love doing yoga and listening to meditation to help calm myself down. I still have stressful days now and then, but I really try to let more things go now. I take vitamins including evening primrose oil capsules, magnesium and iodine to also help with symptoms. (update: I am using 20 mg of over the counter progesterone cream at night to help with night sweats and hot flashes. Seems to be helping right now)
Our minds are very powerful. In my journey with menopause, I ascribe to the theory that your body is not in control of your mind, your mind is in control of your body. That being said, your symptoms are real!! I only say this because we need to quit thinking about menopause so much. Accept it, laugh about it, and stop stressing. Do something to help alleviate the symptoms. Go for a walk, do some yoga stretches in your room, meditate on your break at work, or take a nap. We are women; we are strong, both physically and mentally. Be kind to yourself. Self care and prioritizing ourselves is necessary. We got this!