After having my son at 42 I was devastated to discover I was going through perimenopause shortly after finishing breastfeeding. Shock, horror… I thought this would be my time to catch up on all of those sleepless nights and win back my youthful skin - mother nature unfortunately had other ideas!
I began to get the old hot flushes- but flush seems like an understatement. I felt like I was on fire and sweat would be trickling down the side of my face. Sleeplessness hit- tossing and turning at night trying to get back to sleep after waking with the sweats! Is there anything worse than having a toddler who has slept through the night (for once) BUT you can't get back to sleep?! Pure torture...
At first I was scared that I had managed to contract some dreadful illness. Even though my periods were all over the show, that can happen after pregnancy/ breastfeeding so I thought it may have been related to that. No one had discussed perimenopause to me, let alone what to expect and when to expect it (I thought all of this came much later, so I really had no idea when I first started getting symptoms).
I actually didn't understand the difference between perimenopause and menopause. Who knew perimenopause refers to the actual symptoms leading up to menopause, and menopause is when you have been through it and out the other end having stopped menstruating for good (disclaimer - some women do still continue symptoms past this point).
After my frantic online research (and doctor visits) I developed a plan of attack to help combat the symptoms I was experiencing. Personally, I have found regular exercise (no I don't run marathons), purposely reducing stress, mindful eating and drinking (no I'm not a saint), and taking supplements specifically designed for perimenopause, has really helped me reduce the symptoms I was experiencing…. oh and a good fan in the bedroom!
Something else which has helped me is focussing on wearing clothes that are made of natural breathable fabrics, taking into account if I can I layer things easily, and of course items that make me ‘feel beautiful’ are all important factors for me now. Our Hera Collective Clothing range has these specific factors in mind when we hand picked the labels to stock.
I’ve now decided, this is actually my (our) time to shine! Our bodies are bloody amazing, regardless of the rollercoaster rides they take us on.