What You'll Find In This Issue

• What's Inside:

  • A Short Preview of What to Expect When You’re in “ …

  • Rise Like a Phoenix from the Hot Flashes

  • Who, What, Why, When, Where is Menopause

• Menopause "Symptom" Check Yourself Before You Wrec …

  • Preview of Coming Attractions

A Short Preview of What to Expect When You’re in “The Change”

This go round you can expect to find a bit more information about what to expect when your hormones start fluctuating like a gladiatorial fight to the finish. (That’s a hint as to what some of you may have already been experiencing.)

Read on to discover why you are Not going crazy... (Hint: It might just be your hormones!)

Rise Like a Phoenix from the Hot Flashes

So, let's start this episode by talking a little bit about the things people call: Menopause Symptoms.

Most people think peri-menopause and post-menopause is all about the hot flashes (also called flushes, depending on who you are and where you live).

Some people might also know that peri-menopause is the time when your period gets shorter and lighter and then, eventually, stops. With maybe some night sweats and extra uncontrolled emotions thrown in for good measure.

If that’s all they think it is, they are only partly correct. The "symptoms" of The Menopause reach so much further than that.

Plus...Not every woman goes through The Change the same way. There are so very many contributing factors that makes the experience completely different for every woman.

For example: Periods don't always get lighter. Sometimes, they get heavier. And when they do get lighter, they might last longer. Sometimes a lot longer.

Calling them symptoms also only makes sense in the context of a disease. Or, in the case of an infestation (hellllooo parasites!).

This hormone fluctuation rollercoaster isn't even just the ovaries making fewer eggs, or just a natural way of telling the body it's time to stop procreating. (If that's something you wanted to do in the first place.) It is absolutely our bodies saying that things are going to be different, though.

And, what can we call the malady like reactions so many women feel while their hormones shift, besides “symptoms”? What's a better word than symptoms when they make you feel like shit? And why do they happen at all?

(Well, some of them actually do kind of happen because we have a finite number of eggs allotted at birth. Partly. A lot of those hormones are delegated by the ovaries. But, not completely, and not all.)

If you read my earlier newsletter post about the parasite symptoms that overlap with menopause fun times, then you'll already know about a few of the (actual) symptoms. With so many more are being identified every day, the "symptom" list for menopause is still more than twice as long as that. Plus, as more and more studies on hormone fluctuations and level drops are completed, more and more effects get added to the list.

As for what to actually call the "symptoms" instead of symptoms, maybe you can help with that? (Feel free to throw some ideas in the comments, if you think of anything good!)

As to the rest...

Keep reading for some more short answers to some of these complicated questions, and to find a current list of hormone shifting "symptoms".

Who, What, Why, When, Where is Menopause

As mentioned many times before: Menopause is a different experience for every woman.

Perimenopause can start as early as your mid 30's (unless you have a hysterectomy and/or ovariectomy, in which case that is a whole other conversation) and can last up to 20 years.

Menopause itself is actually considered the day you haven't had a period for 12 months. And then, the next day, you are officially Post Menopausal. Prior to that day, you are considered Peri-Menopausal.

But most people use “menopause” interchangeably with peri-menopause and post-menopause. An all encompassing catch phrase for the latter part of a woman’s life, if you will.

I feel like the part of perimenopause when you stop having a monthly period - when you go a couple three months without and then have a period, then don't have one for 6 months and then, just when you are 11 months without and think you are finally done, you have another one... should have a different name other than perimenopause.

That particular part of the experience lasted almost 6 years for me.

Some women have heavier periods during perimenopause (before that stop start stop start phase) and some have lighter. Some have shorter periods, and some have longer. Some have longer lighter. Some have shorter heavier. Some fluctuate between all the options.

I had spotting that lasted 3 solid weeks. Heard one woman say she spotted for 3 solid months!

Some women don't even know they are in perimenopause, until they stop having a regular period (and aren't pregnant).

This can be because they barely have any physical changes. Or, it could be because the changes are so severe, they think they are severely ill or actually losing their minds. Doctors who don't know anything about menopause often contribute to this later experience.

Most people who hear the phrase "menopause symptoms" go straight to Hot Flashes. Sometimes they think: uncontrollable emotions, brain fog, night sweats, and weight gain.

The varying effects of menopause stages is attributed to the variation in hormone levels. Which rise and fall constantly during perimenopause.

The shortest answer to why they do this is: because your body is getting used to not being able to make new humans any more. How severely they do this is dependent upon the foods you eat, the chemicals you are exposed to, your overall health… whether or not you used the birth control pill… how much and what kind of exercise you get… mold, toxin, and parasite loads…

You get the idea.

The point is: It is all these things and so much more.

With more than 40 overall categories of “symptoms”; for those of us lucky enough to have most or all of them, it is also tantamount to a living hell. A good chunk of which you would never even think to attribute to simple hormonal fluctuations. Most doctors don’t.

And, as I mentioned in an earlier newsletter post, a decent chunk of that list also overlaps with parasite infestation symptoms.

So, what are all those lovely effects of hormone flux?

Scroll on down to find out.

Menopause "Symptom" Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself List

Menopause is, simply put, a time of transition. You probably already figured that out, one way or the other, by now though.

As already mentioned, how that transition shows up greatly depends on your health and habits, parasites, toxic load, living environment... there are a lot of variables.

Hormone fluctuations can show up in many ways and may or may not include one, two, three... or all, of these fun time experiences:

Currently Known Menopause Experience Options (With More Being Added All the Time)

Fairly Common Ones

Irregular Periods: Early or Late, Heavier, Spotting, No Period

Dizzyness

Inflammation: Joints, Skin, Anywhere or Everywhere

Losing Urine (Dribble Peeing) When Sneeze or Cough, Bladder Control Issues, Urgency

Chronic Bladder Infections

Migraines or Frequent Headaches

Depression and/or Anxiety

Fatigue, Lack of Energy

Mood Swings and/or Irritability (Can be EXTREME)

Brain Fog, Loss of Memory, Poor Concentration/Focus

Vaginal Dryness

Loss of Libido

Breasts Shrinking and/or Expanding (Deflating and/or Inflating)

Bloating, Gas, Food Sensitivities

Hot and Cold Flushes

Night Sweats

Sleep Problems

Weight Gain, Menopause Middle

Acne

Not as Common

Dry Eyes, Nose, and/or Mouth

Burning Tongue and/or Bleeding Gums

Halitosis

Metallic Taste in Mouth

Dry Hair, Nails, and/or Skin

Hair Loss

Hair Growth (In Places Women Don’t Usually Get Hair, ie Menopause Mustache)

Changed and/or Bad Body Odor (Worse With Stress and NO Deodorant Seems to Work!)

Crawling Skin (Ants or Spider Sensation)

Tinnitus or Itchy Ears

Tingling/Pins and Needles in Extremities

Shoulder Problems

New and/or Worsening Allergies

Heart Skipping (Especially When Lying Down)

Cold Flushes (Without the Hot Ones)

Muscle Tension (For No Obvious Reason)

Muscle Loss

Electric Shock (You Virtually Become a Van de Graff Generator)

Loss of Motivation, Giving up on Life, Where’d My Mojo Go-ness

Thyroid and/or Adrenal Issues

Dysbiosis, Microbiome Issues

Lipedema

Pretty Rare

Facial Recognition Issues

Sudden Inability to Speak, Mid-Sentence or Mid-Word Blank Out, Seizure Like Episodes (Without Physical Indication of an Actual Seizure)

Speaking Words in Sentences and Full Names Out of Sequence ( Ex: Unintentional Yoda Speak and Saying the Last Name as the First)

Near Constant Rivers of Sweat From Armpits and Crotch Even When Not Hot Flashing

The more you know…

Preview of Coming Attractions

Ok. So, we didn’t quite get to that little deeper dive into food based supplements, this time. But, It will still show up in a future newsletter.

And…

Like I mentioned last issue, I will have a couple One to One Para-Menopause Coaching Spots opening up soon. So remember to look out for an email with details on how to vie for one of those spots later this month, or early next one.

(If you were sent this, or are reading this on the blog, you can sign up for the F*ck Menopause newsletter to also be notified when Group Coaching Cohorts and One to One Coaching spots come available)