7d ago
Sixty now and I keep seeing posts from women in their early forties who are absolutely terrified, and I just want to say... you come out the other side. Not perfectly. Not without things to still figure out. But you do come out. I'm seven years past my last period. Still have rubbish nights sometimes, still get the joint stiffness that makes me feel about ninety when I stand up too fast. But here's the thing nobody told me at 46 when I was a wreck: the sheer panic does lift. That particular flavour of dread goes. What I've found helps me now, not prescribing anything, just what works for me, is getting to the gym twice a week for some weights work. I started really gently and honestly felt a bit daft at first but my back is so much better for it. And I eat proper protein at breakfast, eggs mostly, nothing fancy, just stopped skipping it like I used to. Those two things changed my energy more than I expected. I also finally asked my GP about ongoing symptoms properly. Wrote a list beforehand, because I used to just forget everything the minute I walked in. She actually took it seriously and we talked about long term bone health which I'd never really asked about before. You're not done with this conversation just because the flushes have eased. That's the bit I wish someone had told me. Keep asking questions. You're allowed. x