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Gen X Women: Its Time We Talked About Perimenopause
So, here I am, 47 years old, trying to manage the changes that come with being beyond middle age. There are so many little reminders that time is moving along — wrinkles showing up where my skin used to be smooth, sagging in places I didn’t even realize could sag.
Every time I look in the mirror, it’s like, “Oh, hello, aging! Didn’t expect you so soon!” It happened fast. And just when I thought I had a handle on that, life threw perimenopause into the mix.
I didn’t even realize at first that I was going through perimenopause. I just thought my periods were getting weird, and it was a sign things were slowing down. One cycle would be 14 days, and the next would stretch out to 50. This went on for a good 3 or 4 years.
But then, last year, things really got weird. I had a period that lasted for three months. Three. Months. It wasn’t heavy the whole time, but it just wouldn’t go away. I kind of just got used to it and thought, well, if this is my life now, so be it. It’s like that guest who overstays their welcome, but there’s not a lot you can do about it.
