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"Surviving Perimenopause: How I'm Navigating This New Stage of Life"


Black woman posing with head down in front of garage with mom jeans and black tank top.

One day you’re living your best life, and the next thing you know you’re dealing with something called perimenopause. Now, of course I had heard about menopause, and even though I didn’t have the knowledge I should (and need) at least I was familiar with it. But perimenopause is absolutely new to me, and I had no knowledge of it. At all. In fact, as I started to understand a little more about this stage of life we go through, I also started to realize I could’ve been dealing with this for some time now, but who knows.


Yes, you heard me correctly, who knows. The reason I don’t know is because there’s still so much I need to learn, and even doctors don’t have the depth of information they should when it comes to perimenopause. During a recent trip to my own doctor, I realized this. My doctor is female, and older than I am, so I have to admit my assumption was surely she herself had dealt with this or is currently dealing with it. She was the one who offered me a test to have my blood drawn to check my hormone levels, so I was excited at the time to have some general information of what was going on, and to decide how to proceed from there.



Black woman standin in front of brown garage in white dress and heels.

I have been dealing with sleep issues for some now. Some nights are good, and when they’re good I feel fantastic, and I get excited. However, when they’re bad it’s just a horrible feeling. Bad nights are usually about four hours. I average about six to six and a half, but I’ve learned to live with that although I would love a full 8 hours every night. I also run hot. Most nights I have to sleep with a fan on, and in the summer it’s both the fan and air conditioning. Now, to be honest, I’ve been dealing with these issues for quite some time, so I can’t truly tell you how early I was in perimenopause or not, but I have learned these can be some symptoms that occur during this stage of life.


Now, what I can say that confirmed something was changing in my body, I noticed at 46. In October 2022 I was on a workout regimen and nutrition plan, and I was feeling good. I always averaged around 150 pounds, and everything felt normal. By February of 2023 when I went to my annual checkup, I was up to 163 pounds. I figured I must’ve eaten horribly during the holiday season, but no problem because I knew what to do to get it off. It didn’t work. It didn’t work like it used to, and it didn’t work for the next year that I tried either. Now, at 47 I’m averaging about 165 pounds, and it hasn’t really budged at all, and I am pretty diligent when it comes to working out and watching my diet.  So, it was almost two years later that I realized perimenopause had likely entered the picture.



Black woman standing in front of garage in yellow shirt and denim shorts for a picture

My hormone check has indicated a drop in my levels, and unfortunately my doctor wasn’t very helpful, but I am determined to look around and see if maybe there is a specialist that may have some better answers. I’m hesitant because I live in a smaller town, and finding a specialist who understands issues that are specific to my needs not only as a woman, but as a black woman in some cases has been challenging, but I will at least look around.


In the meantime, I highly suggest you become familiar with perimenopause. There’s a lot of information being uncovered because people are talking about it more, and that helps, but no two people are the same and the issues I have may not be the same for you. I’ve heard there can be so many symptoms that come along with perimenopause, and this stage of life can go on for years for some. Find you a good doctor who listens and understands perimenopause, and advocate for yourself. So, step by step and day by day I will survive perimenopause, and if you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know.

2 Comments


Tandrea Allison
Tandrea Allison
Jun 28, 2024

This is something we need to talk about more and more and more. Thank you for bringing your voice forward and sharing it. I want you to know, I see you. I was forced into early menopause and it is no joke.

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Ieasha Abdullah
Ieasha Abdullah
Jun 28, 2024
Replying to

We absolutely have to talk about it more. I can’t believe how many women are suffering, and have been for decades but yet there’s still so much information and help we don’t have. Prayerfully it gets better. Thanks for sharing and commenting ❤️

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