Published on 12, July, 2020
I am at the end of the menopase journet for quite some time but I wonder what it was like for other people.
For me I was fascinated by it and it became my Special interest for a number of years.
One thing it did was make it harder to mask, which was liberating for me and baffling to some who did not really know me well.
I apologise if anything I say here in this discussion is deemed to be too graphic or triggering...
During the run-up to the menopause the first thing I became aware of was hot flashes, but they were so few and far between that it took me a while to join the dots. It wasn't until my periods started getting lighter and further apart that I realised I was hurtling towards menopause.
In terms of mood changes, it's impossible to say for certain if perimenopause and the menopause had caused any. Whilst I had been in the perimenopausal phase, my dad had died after being terminally unwell, and there had also been two other members of my family who had died, all within the space of six months, so mentally/emotionally I wasn't in a good place.
It was approximately a year after my dad's death that I had my last ever period, and that's when things notched up several gears and I found myself experiencing hot flushes and sweats throughout the day and night. It literally seemed to happen overnight with no gradual build up.
If you're easily triggered or particularly squeamish, then this is the point when you might want to stop reading...
TRIGGER WARNING
During the months leading up to my last ever period, I had become aware that when I was using the toilet (for a wee), there was also a lot of clear mucus-like discharge. In hindsight, it was as though my body was wanting to rid itself of natural lubrication before my biological clock completely stopped.
For a good many years prior to the menopause, my libido had been pretty much non-existent. I had assumed (incorrectly) that it would remain that way. Therefore, it came as quite a surprise when the menopause (or should I say post-menopause), switched my libido back on.
It has to be said that when I had been a young adult, the word 'prude' was not one that I had ever associated with myself. However, since becoming post-menopausal, I seem to be considerably more open-minded about certain sexual activities that previously would have caused me to feel horrified and repulsed.
Long before the menopause, I had been told things, read articles, and watched things on TV. I had done my research and genuinely believed there would be no surprises. I was as prepared for the inevitable changes as I thought I could be. I have now realised that even if one sails through the menopause with minimal issues, no amount of research prepares you for what the experience will feel like.