I would add: Ask relevant questions and listen carefully to what your perimenopausal patient says. It doesn't matter how knowledgeable you are if you're treating a different patient profile from the one in front of you. 🙄
Being your own advocate ensures you can empower yourself. I learned long before perimenopause this valuable lesson after miscarriage and a PCOS diagnosis. I didn’t want to treat my symptoms by using traditional birth control or other interventions that seemed to send the message of suppressing or managing symptoms by taking them away. I wanted to put my symptoms in remission by listening to my body and learning how to use hormones intentionally.
I also understood the value of overhauling my lifestyle. This was key to giving myself long-term health that would serve me during menopause (ie. nutrition changes and increasing muscle mass were key in my 30s).
Consulting with female medical and health professionals outside of the traditional western medical model has been invaluable in my education. Reading their research in lifestyle medicine. Doing the work. Seeking out individual consultation and targeted treatment plans (ie. gut healing, blood sugar stabilization, anxiety management).
Many educated women in the field are out there, like yourself, are putting out very valuable content backed by the wisdom of women who have been navigating these transitions for decades. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but I had to find and make the wheel that would work for my body.
Amy, your comment was so beautiful! You've figured out how best to support yourself for long-term health and have mastered "doing the work." This lovingness that you give yourself will benefit you in the years to come. Your journey of self-care and growth is commendable!
Thank you for leaving a comment to share your story. This is how we learn - from each other. I was so sorry to see that a miscarriage was also a part of your history. When we see how others have walked the path before us and achieved success, it is truly inspiring. I appreciate you being a reader and wish you continued good health.
So clear and helpful Shelby. I would definitely say that I started getting symptoms around age 45, with heightened anxiety being the first sign that showed up
You were right on track at 45. I like how we (as in all of us) are using perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause more often instead of lumping all three into "menopause." No wonder why everyone's confused. A 42 year old may be too young for menopause, but she's not too young for perimenopause. Thanks for stopping by, Dr. Connop!
All great information Shelby! Thank you for putting this together, I think it would be very important for clinicians to read something like this to understand this phase of life. I recently went to the OBGYN for a regular exam and all over the office were posters for new Moms and support for them after giving birth, which I think is SO important, but there was not one poster or flyer or support for women in peri/menopause. Not all women will have children, but ALL women will go through menopause. My GYN seemed bored by my appointment and what I was telling her, I didn't go there for help with perimenopause symptoms because I knew I would get none, I just went for the pap smear, but I was still frustrated at how blatantly unenthused and uninformed she was about this phase of life. I firmly believe now that peri/menopause should not be a GYN's responsibility, let them deliver the babies, that's hard enough work! It's like you put, a clinician's responsibility to know about this time of life and how it affects EVERY part of a woman's body. It's been a huge disservice to women for way too long and I pray the tides are shifting to help the next generations.
Hi Kat! When the specialty of OB and GYN were put together there wasn't as much information as there is now. Those two specialties require a tremendous amount of knowledge and the ability to stay on top of it. We have one of the worst maternal mortality rates out of all the countries like us which puts a huge amount of pressure on OBs to stay on top of that medical knowledge.
Then add GYN with all of it's new conditions to know about like vulvadynia and being responsible for surgeries and then add perimenopause and menopause care on top of that which is really its own subspecialty.
I have a hunch from what I've heard that most OB/GYNs go into the profession for the OB part and not necessarily the GYN part so maybe that's the case with yours and what happened with your appointment. But, it's not up to you to be your physician's source of entertainment and I'm sorry this was your experience. So many of us can relate.
You always share such meaningful comments that add so much value! Thanks for sticking with me!
I didn’t know that about the maternal mortality rates, that’s wild and definitely puts a lot of pressure on these doctors.
Hopefully moving forward the specialties can be separated out or primary care physicians can get better educated to treat the full spectrum of a woman’s life.
I would add: Ask relevant questions and listen carefully to what your perimenopausal patient says. It doesn't matter how knowledgeable you are if you're treating a different patient profile from the one in front of you. 🙄
Thanks, Moorea! I love this addition to the article. I appreciate you stopping by.
Being your own advocate ensures you can empower yourself. I learned long before perimenopause this valuable lesson after miscarriage and a PCOS diagnosis. I didn’t want to treat my symptoms by using traditional birth control or other interventions that seemed to send the message of suppressing or managing symptoms by taking them away. I wanted to put my symptoms in remission by listening to my body and learning how to use hormones intentionally.
I also understood the value of overhauling my lifestyle. This was key to giving myself long-term health that would serve me during menopause (ie. nutrition changes and increasing muscle mass were key in my 30s).
Consulting with female medical and health professionals outside of the traditional western medical model has been invaluable in my education. Reading their research in lifestyle medicine. Doing the work. Seeking out individual consultation and targeted treatment plans (ie. gut healing, blood sugar stabilization, anxiety management).
Many educated women in the field are out there, like yourself, are putting out very valuable content backed by the wisdom of women who have been navigating these transitions for decades. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but I had to find and make the wheel that would work for my body.
Amy, your comment was so beautiful! You've figured out how best to support yourself for long-term health and have mastered "doing the work." This lovingness that you give yourself will benefit you in the years to come. Your journey of self-care and growth is commendable!
Thank you for leaving a comment to share your story. This is how we learn - from each other. I was so sorry to see that a miscarriage was also a part of your history. When we see how others have walked the path before us and achieved success, it is truly inspiring. I appreciate you being a reader and wish you continued good health.
Such an important article, Shelby 🙏
Thanks, Rebecca! We need to be able to feel heard at our appointments.
So clear and helpful Shelby. I would definitely say that I started getting symptoms around age 45, with heightened anxiety being the first sign that showed up
You were right on track at 45. I like how we (as in all of us) are using perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause more often instead of lumping all three into "menopause." No wonder why everyone's confused. A 42 year old may be too young for menopause, but she's not too young for perimenopause. Thanks for stopping by, Dr. Connop!
All great information Shelby! Thank you for putting this together, I think it would be very important for clinicians to read something like this to understand this phase of life. I recently went to the OBGYN for a regular exam and all over the office were posters for new Moms and support for them after giving birth, which I think is SO important, but there was not one poster or flyer or support for women in peri/menopause. Not all women will have children, but ALL women will go through menopause. My GYN seemed bored by my appointment and what I was telling her, I didn't go there for help with perimenopause symptoms because I knew I would get none, I just went for the pap smear, but I was still frustrated at how blatantly unenthused and uninformed she was about this phase of life. I firmly believe now that peri/menopause should not be a GYN's responsibility, let them deliver the babies, that's hard enough work! It's like you put, a clinician's responsibility to know about this time of life and how it affects EVERY part of a woman's body. It's been a huge disservice to women for way too long and I pray the tides are shifting to help the next generations.
Hi Kat! When the specialty of OB and GYN were put together there wasn't as much information as there is now. Those two specialties require a tremendous amount of knowledge and the ability to stay on top of it. We have one of the worst maternal mortality rates out of all the countries like us which puts a huge amount of pressure on OBs to stay on top of that medical knowledge.
Then add GYN with all of it's new conditions to know about like vulvadynia and being responsible for surgeries and then add perimenopause and menopause care on top of that which is really its own subspecialty.
I have a hunch from what I've heard that most OB/GYNs go into the profession for the OB part and not necessarily the GYN part so maybe that's the case with yours and what happened with your appointment. But, it's not up to you to be your physician's source of entertainment and I'm sorry this was your experience. So many of us can relate.
You always share such meaningful comments that add so much value! Thanks for sticking with me!
Good luck with the pap!
You’re welcome, thank you for all your work too.
I didn’t know that about the maternal mortality rates, that’s wild and definitely puts a lot of pressure on these doctors.
Hopefully moving forward the specialties can be separated out or primary care physicians can get better educated to treat the full spectrum of a woman’s life.
Thanks. 💞