Every woman born with a uterus and fortunate to live long enough will go through menopause. So let’s turn the day of obligation formerly known as Mother’s Day into something actually beneficial:
Menopause Day!
On the second Sunday in May, let’s talk about what we’ve experienced, what we’ve learned, what we fear, and our questions. No more whispers or shame. Let’s shout:
I’m going through menopause!1
Are you with me? Let’s share what fun menopausal symptoms we’ve experienced! I’ve had:
Hot Flashes
Fatigue
Night Sweats
Unexpected Body Shape Changes
Hair Loss
Dry Skin
Dry Vag
Brittle nails
Vertigo
Brain Fog
Rollercoaster Sex Drive
Fear I Was Losing My Mind
Cranky as Fuck
I had to put some Cerave Healing Ointment2 on my labia to sit comfortably this morning. I’d like words with the world order; no one told me this much nonsense was incoming. I don’t want one more woman to wake up one day and wonder,
“What the hell is happening to me?”
If we share, we won’t have to rely on the vultures trying to sell us jade eggs3 under the guise of menopause wellness. If we speak up, we can say, “No, let’s talk about solutions,” when our medical providers belittle our symptoms.
I must confess, I am a bit of a hippie and I figured menopause had evolved for a good reason. I would simply ride the waves. But last summer, I was hit with debilitating vertigo. I could not work and had to use my short-term disability benefits for several months. I was so grateful to have the insurance that the financial hit didn’t sink in until I did my taxes. But the repercussions are beyond a lower income for a single year of my working life. I didn’t make any retirement contributions during that time and that will compound being behind in retirement savings.
Institutions such as TIAA have published papers and launched campaigns highlighting the gender gap in retirement preparedness. And while I haven’t read every report, I haven’t seen a single mention of women having less money in their retirement accounts because we have to take time off due to menopause symptoms or even walk away from our jobs entirely. So yet again, a system designed by and for men is failing us.
Talking openly about menopause is about more than breaking a taboo. It is about changing how we prepare for the next phase of our lives. And embracing becoming what the world has told us no one wants: Older Women.
So Say It Loud, I’m Dry, and I’m Proud!
XOXO,
Lateefah
Okay, not technically, because the men in charge of medicine decided that menopause can only be declared a year after your last period. Because that wouldn’t set up a woman for twelve months of anxious unknowing or anything. I haven’t finished The Menopause Manifesto yet. Still, I’m with Dr. Jen Gunter on using menopause as a blanket term for the entire process. (Affiliate Link)
Dr. Jen said petroleum jelly was okay so I tried the Cerave and it is FANTASTIC. No yeasty repercussions and it doesn’t cost a fortune like all those vaginal suppositories or specialty creams.
No knock on jade eggs as toys.