When You Discover You’re a Badass Middle-Aged Woman
And your hormones take you on a wild ride.
Midlife hormonal fluctuations are no joke. Most humans with functioning uteri have a flow of hormones that, when out of balance, can drastically alter one’s mood and bodily sensations. These changes can be uncomfortable at best, debilitating at their worst.
When hormones are out of whack or naturally surging for one reason or another, we can feel like we’re losing our minds. Some of us get weird physical symptoms like hot flashes. Others get unpredictable mood swings. A few of us feel depressed or anxious. Most of our mothers never told us what would happen.
I’m almost 49 and have been riding the perimenopausal hormone train since I was 40. Perimenopause is the last stop on the way to menopause, the cessation of periods for 12 consecutive months.
Over the years, I’ve seen an increase in hair loss and headaches, unexplainable rage, and unbearable sadness. But I never noticed the positive side effects until recently. My ever-changing body is magnificent in all its hormonal glory.
Here are some positive side effects that can come with middle age and perimenopause:
“I care less and less of what people think.” ~Ani DiFranco
