09/04/2026
HEY SIS š¤ | MY JOURNEY INTO PERIMENOPAUSE PART 6
I felt like something was changing within my body, and I couldn't put my finger on it.
Things were happening, and I just could not figure out what was going on.
I knew something was different.
I didn't feel like myself.
But never, not ONE time, did I thinkā¦
Girl, this might be perimenopause.
Because in my mind, perimenopause looked like hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain and changes in your period.
And Sis⦠I wasn't having those things.
So why would I think perimenopause?
Meanwhile, LIFE was LIFE-ING.
I was dealing with an extreme amount of stress. I was walking through grief. I was carrying a lot emotionally, mentally and physically.
So naturally, I blamed what I was feeling on everything else.
I'm stressed.
I'm grieving.
I'm tired.
I'm overwhelmed.
I just have too much going on.
And truthfully, all of those things WERE happening.
But something else was happening too.
My body was transitioning.
And because my symptoms didn't look like what I thought perimenopause was supposed to look like, I completely missed it.
And Sis, so many women are doing the exact same thing.
Research shows that many women struggle to recognize where they are in the menopause transition. In one recent study, 34% of women weren't sure what reproductive stage they were in, and among women who explained that uncertainty, 56% had difficulty figuring out whether their symptoms were related to perimenopause or something else.
Whew.
Because how many of us have said:
"I'm just stressed."
"I just need some sleep."
"It's probably my age."
"I have too much going on right now."
And kept moving?
šš¾āāļø ME.
Here's today's Clinical Pearl š©ŗ:
Perimenopause doesn't always announce herself with a hot flash.
She can show up differently from woman to woman. Changes in sleep, mood, anxiety, concentration, menstrual cycles, energy and even how you respond to stress can be part of the menopause transition.
And here's what made my journey even more complicated: grief, chronic stress, lack of sleep AND hormonal changes can have overlapping symptoms.
So when everything is happening at the same time, it can be HARD to know what's causing what.
Looking back now, I can see it.
But when I was standing in the middle of it?
I had no clue.
That's why I keep sharing my story.
Because there may be another Sis watching this right now saying:
"Something is changing in my body. I just don't know what it is."
Sis⦠don't ignore that feeling.
Pay attention.
Ask questions.
Track what's changing.
And talk to a healthcare provider who will actually LISTEN to you.
You know your body.
And you don't have to wait until you're having hot flashes or night sweats to start the conversation about perimenopause. š¤
Did you recognize perimenopause when she first showed up, or did you blame your symptoms on something else too?
Drop a š¤ or share your experience below.