I recently I heard menopause referred to as “cougar puberty,” and that is best definition for this weird time in my life I have ever heard! And it makes me giggle, so that’s a plus! I have really only heard the word perimenopause over the last couple of years. I knew what menopause was and that it was a hormonal shift in the lives of women in their 50s or so that caused their periods to stop, but for most of my life, no one talked about all the years leading up to it…that’s where the real struggle lies. And apparently, it can start as early as 35 for some! I turned 44 during the lockdown of 2020, and I am convinced the pandemic launched me into perimenopause. My anxiety was shooting through the roof, I wasn’t sleeping, and I started feeling…just not me. I chalked it all up to the stress of being a teacher during the pandemic and then going back to work in an ever-changing, challenging environment. And the stresses of teaching have compounded every year since. I also attributed my exhaustion to raising two young boys, which is a constant battle between gaming, arguing, Nerf Darts and Legos, and farting. But then I started hearing about perimenopause. The hot flashes, night sweats, racing mind, irritability, weight gain—especially around the middle, exhaustion, overstimulation…all those things described me to a tee.

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