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Perimenopause is More Confusing Than Ever. What No One Told You but Should Have.

25 years ago, we didn’t even know the term. Now, social media is our main source of information. Women deserve better.

May Pang
Wise & Well
16 min readJan 14, 2025

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Perimenopause comprises of over 70 symptoms some of which are much lesser known than hot flashes including anxiety, weight gain, brain fog, itchy skin, painful sex, and achy joints.
Illustration created by the author on Canva

When my friend Jennifer turned 39, she felt like she was slowly falling apart and losing her mind all at once.

It started with her sleep. Jennifer used to be one of those people who could fall asleep (and stay asleep) anywhere. Then, out of nowhere, she began waking up regularly at 3 a.m., often with a stream of anxious thoughts and completely drenched in sweat. Persistent brain fog and attention deficit followed — so severe that she forgot a colleague’s name during a client presentation, despite knowing them for over a decade.

An executive at a Fortune 500 company and a seasoned solo traveler, Jennifer had always been a confident overachiever. But suddenly, despite not having any apparent disease, even routine tasks, like international work trips, felt overwhelming and triggered a disproportionate level of anxiety.

Jennifer’s doctor prescribed antidepressants, which briefly alleviated her symptoms.

However, the antidepressants seem to cause weight gain and gut problems. So, she stopped. The gut problems went away…

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Wise & Well
Wise & Well

Published in Wise & Well

Science-backed insights into health, wellness and wisdom, to help you make tomorrow a little better than today.

May Pang
May Pang

Written by May Pang

Combining Storytelling with Science. Communication & Connection Coach. Would love to hear from you!💗may@mojomint.com 💙 www.mojomint.com. Based in Boulder, CO.

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