How I Overcame The Dreaded Menopause Transition
I’ve been in denial that I had started experiencing menopause for the last few months. Even after I finally acknowledged that I would get “overly hot”, I still never wanted to admit that I was experiencing “hot flashes”.
Even when my mother said, “dear, you are going through hot flashes” when I had mentioned what I was experiencing. I still denied it and told her she didn’t know what she was talking about.
OK, yeah, I told my mother that, even though she and her sisters and my sisters had all lived through some form of menopause. So, she not only knew what she was talking about… She has wisdom that I could draw on to help me get through it.
Yet again, remember I was in denial at the time.
Now, after living through months of “hot flashes” I’m no longer in denial. I’ve accepted that I’m at another stage in my life of getting older.
UGH! Did I really just admit that out loud. LOL!
What did I do about the menopause transition?
Now that I’ve accepted that I’m transitioning into menopause, I figured that I needed to find some kind of relief for the hot flashes. They are not fun to go through without relief. I also decided to education myself about it.
According the Mayo Clinic…
Perimenopause means “around menopause” and refers to the time period during which a woman’s body makes its natural transition toward permanent infertility (menopause). Perimenopause is also called the menopausal transition.
Also the Mayo Clinic shared that…
Menopause is defined as occurring 12 months after your last menstrual period and marks the end of menstrual cycles. Menopause can happen in your 40s or 50s, but the average age is 51 in the United States.
So I realized that I’ve been experiencing “perimenopause”. Which includes hot flashes and feels like someone turned the heat up inside and forgot to warn me. Before I could realize what’s happening, it’s too late for me to try and “think it away”.
The hot flashes hits me like a ton of bricks and at the worst times too. Mostly in the middle of the night when I’m trying to get my beauty rest. Sweat and heat combined to make me very very uncomfortable and irritated.
I hate having my beauty rest being disturbed so experiencing menopausal hot flashes just don’t do it for me. After mentioning the dreaded hot flashes to one of my good friends, she suggested I try essential oils.
According to a thesis by Melissa A. Clanton entitled, Menopause: Understanding and Managing the Transition Using Essential Oils vs. Traditional Allopathic Medicine, Melissa shared that…
Research has also been conducted using essential oils on menopausal women, aged 47 to 56. A 5% dilution of clary sage (Salvia sclarea) and geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) was applied to the feet and produced useful changes in hot flash intensity. One subject reported two nights after stopping clary sage, the flashes returned to the original intensity.
When I tried this combination of essential oils along with others, I realized that they provided temporary respite from cramps, hot flashes, and emotional swings. Also they helped to calm my emotions and give me a sense of reduced stress in my head and neck.
What I learned from Dr. Christiane Northrup…
Also an article by Dr. Christiane Northrup that’s entitled, “Is this Your Perimenopause Transition?”, helped me to identify where I am in the process. I’m going through what she terms as “Natural Menopause”.
When I found out that the whole process could take up to 13 years, I tried not to freak out. So I’m the woman who was in denial about going through menopause and now I find out it can last that long!
Yeah, it didn’t go over well for me. Yet after reading the entire article, I felt better about the transition period and learned a few things from all of my research.
- That essential oils can help me a lot during this transitional period.
- Don’t freak out. Live through it and accept that it’s just a part of the aging process for women.
- Pay better attention to my body so that I can identify “hot flashes” better.
- Learn more about the foods and supplements that can help me through this transitional period in my life.
- The most important thing I learned was that I needed to consult with my doctor and keep her in the loop regarding what I’m going through. Her wisdom can also help me deal with perimenopause from a medical standpoint.
As an end result, I’m living a happier life and freer life now that I’ve accepted perimenopause. It’s not the big bad wolf anymore and has become a part of life that I’m experiencing. I wish the same peace for you as you deal with menopausal issues too.
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