She planned on having the laziest Friday ever after being so burnt out yesterday. A nasty, massive headache bothered her before bed and in the morning too, plus the hot flashes and sweating. The sudden chills, feeling like an iced bucket of water had been poured over her body she feels cold she shivers.
And oh, the sudden mood swings and irritability she could not explain. What could be wrong? Well, she had been experiencing all of that for a while which made her suspect some major hormonal shifts were occurring. PMS? Uhm mm... maybe, the more advanced one (i.e. perimenopausal, a term she learned most recently).
"But Mom had it at 48!" the other side of her head protested. She is just about to turn mid-40 and thinks it is highly likely that she or her sisters might have it around that age too.
"Yeah maybe," she found herself agreeing with the thought, although in reality, her eldest sister who celebrated her 50th birthday in May had yet to experience anything. She asked her Ate C (3 years her senior) and she confirmed she had not either. Things change, of course! Just because their mother had that hormonal shift at 48 doesn't mean they would too.
She remembered her third cousin who had it at 31. Imagine that! It's just too early, but then, it's nature's design and cannot be stopped. Then there was her mother-in-law who at 37 transitioned into that stage. Still, there is that part of her that seems to not believe she could be well on her way (probably because superficially, she's stuck in her 30s).
"So grow up already!" some scolding going on in her mind, lol!
But yes, such is one predestined, inescapable stage that she and every woman must transition into in their lifetime. If anyone alive had ever been spared of it, then she'd say it's a miracle, defying a natural, fated process.
And so she started reading, wanting to educate herself about what may yet come. It can be short for some, but for many, it can take 4-8 years and the symptoms may vary from one to another, articles say. Curious, she asked her mother who shared that during her time, she did not notice any physical change nor experience any discomfort at all. Her period just stopped for months and when she visited the doctor, she was told she had reached her menopausal phase. How cool is that!
She wished for the same thing. But if what she is going through at the moment is what she suspects it is, then it is simply beyond her control. She acknowledged it's best to accept it with an open heart, mind, and spirit, vowing to continue learning along the way, having faith she will cope gracefully with whatever it is that may come, and transition smoothly through such a magical stage of life.
And what of the lazy Friday she planned to have? Oh, it turned out to be one hell of a productive day.😉
Photos are my own. 21062024/20:40ph