I can't tell you how I felt the day I finally decided to go see my doctor about what I already knew was menopause. I guess depressed would come to mind. I am 41 years old and had not had my period in a little over a year. That was fine. Even the hot flashes I had from time to time was something I was okay with since I was normally cold most of the time. But, there were things no one told me about. My skin began to change, get dry even. I started getting coarse hairs on the sides of my mouth. Not noticeable to others, but noticeable to me. My long hair was getting thin. Again, noticeable to me but not to others so much. I was getting short tempered and forgetful. But the biggest thing no one told me about was vaginal atrophy. Vaginal atrophy is painful! It seems to me that I am older on the inside than I look and feel on the outside.
My inside and my outward appearance just don't seem to agree. Now, I would ask my mom and my grandmother or an aunt or cousin about their experiences with this issue, but I can't because hysterectomies were often done routinely back then like we routinely pull teenagers wisdom teeth! That means that I am the oldest woman in my family with a uterus and ovaries! Remember I'm only 41! So I pave this new road alone. My sister is 18 months younger than I am. Maybe my experiences will help her when she gets here. Maybe I'll at least be able to give my three daughters a clue what to expect when they get here. Everyday is a new day for me. So many treatment options. I spend so much time talking with doctors, reading what I can find. I find it strange that women will talk and talk about their periods and their PMS but get so close lipped when it comes to menopause! What happens to us, how we really feel. Maybe it is partly because of society — the quest to be young, to compete with the clock, to work so hard at trying to hide or age. Well, here I am. 41 years old. Mother of three daughters and I have menopause!