Why F*ck Menopause?

So... I get that some of you might be thinking to yourselves: “F*ck Menopause” seems a bit harsh.

You might be someone who feels that your experiences with all the stages of Menopause have been smooth and beautiful. That Menopause is a wonderful phase of life to be honored and you don't feel like my Newsletter title gives "The Change" due respect.

I actually had a few crone friends tell me that they just couldn't get behind my F*ck Menopause sentiment. However, I also had a lot of women say they felt the term "crone" had way too many negative connotations to be ok with that either. (I had originally intended to include Crone in my newsletter title.)

No worries! I feel ya.

To be fair, My personal experience with “The Change” was pretty heinous for much of it. So, I can’t really relate to women who have a “beautiful” experience from Peri to Post either.

The symptoms I experienced were Really severe and debilitating for a pretty good chunk of the last 20 odd years. Yes, my peri started very early and it all went on for waaayyyy too long. 20+ years from the first time I woke up in a puddle of sweat to the time I reached post meno, at the beginning of this year.

So...

Yeah.

This newsletter is completely not aimed at women who have never had issues with peri-menopause.

It’s aimed at women who Are having, or had, a really hard time with the transition... I know that’s a lot of you. Most women struggle during the change.

If you aren’t or didn’t: Congratulations!

Now… Even though I had a rough time figuring things out, and getting things sorted, all that figuring taught me a lot! And… With all the new studies that have come out in the last 10 years, I have learned even more. Way more.

If only I knew then…

Which is to say:

My title is not to demean or deride the Menopause experiences we all go through, in anyway. It is simply what it is, in order to attract women who have a bigger need to find answers.

It’s a way to say hello to those of you who are having the extra, less common, symptoms especially. To put out a bat signal so that, maybe, I can help the women reading this to find relief with something they may not even understand. Perhaps offer a better path through something that a lot of women feel has completely changed their lives; Not for the better.

For all the women who may be finding their experiences to be completely devastating, in some way:

This newsletter is for you!

If you are one of those women, you may actually find it to be the perfect sentiment. Like it is to me.

That said, I actually equate “F*ck Menopause” to yelling up at our power, so we can take it back from something we have lost control over. Something that has forced us into places and situations we didn't want to go. That most of us, to be honest, really don't know anything about. I didn’t know anything about it when I started peri-menopause - right around 35 y/o. I didn’t even know that I was in peri-menopause. I thought I was just getting sick a lot for the first couple years.

When the night sweats, hot to cold flushes, muscle and joint aches, exhaustion, nausea, etc began happening Every Month, in conjunction with my menses… I thought: Hang on a minute…

That’s when I started to do some research.

Unfortunately, there was a lot less out there to look up, since the interwebs were still a fairly new thing back then. Oh, and also, there just weren’t that many studies being done on Menopause either. Probably because Oprah and Halle hadn’t started doing press conferences on Menopause yet. I did find enough to figure out that I was starting my “Menopause Journey” though.

Good thing too. Since my mother wouldn’t tell me anything about it. She would just change the subject when I asked. I still kept asking every so often, but her response was always: You’re too young to be going through Menopause!

Turns out, I wasn’t.

The name “F*ck Menopause” came to me because I was re-listening to F*ck That: An Honest Meditation. A short, guided, somewhat satirical, meditation that came out just as I was feeling like my life was completely falling apart. It was a powerfully humorous little something I did multiple times a day that got me through that particularly difficult part of my life. A part of my life that happened to coincide with some particularly “fun” peri-menopause symptoms.

So, naming my newsletter F*ck Menopause also acts as a tribute to that meditation. A meditation I once frequently used, that actually helped get me through a particularly rough time in my life.

That meditation wound up being part of a traverse and cleanse, of an overcoming and discovery. An unexpected humour that helped lead me to this very place in my life. So, it seemed fitting. And felt very right in the moment. Like a light bulb shining in my heart. Up and eventually out, to the moon.

So, now that you know my inspiration and intentions, if the name still offends, no worries. This newsletter might not be for you… But... If you have family, friends, or colleagues, who might be going through their version of peri-menopause in a way that makes Them want to scream up at the moon... Thanks for letting them know about this newsletter!

Appreciate you taking the time to consider checking it out, either way! I hope you found something here that made you go: Ah! while you did.

Why Can't I Balance My Hormones? Ummm; Parasites?

Some of my clients ask me:

Why do I need to get rid of parasites before I balance my hormones?

Well, as I mentioned in my very first newsletter:

Parasites F*ck with your Hormones!

If you've been trying all the things, and they only work for a little while, and then you have to reassess and adjust - constantly. See above.

If you have parasites (recap: Unless you are doing all the things to prevent and remove them, you have parasites. We all have parasites to some degree), then they are either messing with your hormones, your microbiome, or both.

So, it’s important to get rid of the parasites first in order to find out what your Real hormone levels are. Then, you will be able to more accurately find the most effective options to re-balance your hormones.

And, yes. It is important to do a yearly parasite cleanse to make sure you don't go back to the hormone roller coaster. I know about That first hand!

It also means making permanent changes to the things you eat and keeping your microbiome healthy.

I'll get more into how important a healthy microbiome is to balancing your hormones in a future newsletter. So, stay tuned for that.

Coming Preview and a Shout Out to the Men Folk

Just wanted to give an acknowledgment to all the brave males in the Meno pack. Hope you learn a lot of useful things by being here!

So, yes: Here's a quick nod to all you testosterone leaning peeps. Thank you for joining us estrogen leaning folk on this self discovery channel. Extra thank you’s for wanting to learn more about what we estrogen folk get to go through.

Wanted to say that, and to let you know that I will be doing an entire issue dedicated to Andropause in the near near. In your honor.

For everyone reading, keep a eye out for an issue, or two, dealing with navigating relationships during difficult "Change" symptoms in the near (Summer) future as well.

And, once again:

Thanks for joining us on the Journey, guys!