16 Jun
41 and I feel absolutely ridiculous even being in a menopause space. Like I keep waiting for someone to tap me on the shoulder and go, love, this isn't for you. But then I look at my cycle notes from the last eight months and something has definitely shifted. Periods arriving when they feel like it. Waking up at 4am with my heart going. Anxiety that doesn't match anything actually happening in my life. Crying in the Tesco car park over nothing I can identify. The period apps are useless now because they assume a 28 day cycle and mine is doing whatever it wants. But I also feel too young to fully claim the word perimenopause out loud. I've got a GP appointment next month and I'm genuinely worried I'll sit down, she'll look at me, and I'll immediately say "sorry, I'm probably just tired" and leave with nothing. So I've been writing things down. Actual dates, actual symptoms, how bad the sleep was, when the anxiety spiked. Not obsessively, just so I have something concrete to show her instead of going in and shrugging. Does anyone have tips for talking to a GP without sounding like you've diagnosed yourself off the internet? Because I have absolutely diagnosed myself off the internet but I'd rather not lead with that 😂