7 Things We Didn’t Know About Perimenopause
You can get pregnant??!!
Hey HONEYS!
Did you know that September is Perimenopause Awareness Month? We want to put extra emphasis on the awareness part, because what we've found is there is soooo much you don't know about perimenopause until she is knocking on your door! 😮💨
A while back we put together this ROUNDUP: Advice, Resources, and Support for Perimenopausal Honeys. In addition, we gleaned more enlightenment when Head Honey Felicia Pride and her CHILE, PLEASE co-host Ivy Grant had a special guest come by to educate us on Menopause 101, journalist and educator Lori L. Tharps.
Lori is the founder of My Bloody Hell, a podcast as well as a community where women can share their stories about perimenopause in order to find support and solidarity. And on Episode 206: Chile, Aunt Flo Is Dead, she revealed some info we never knew about this phase of life. Ultimately, we learned that The Change doesn't have to be The Bogeyman if we just share information about our experiences!
Lori shared nuggets like:
1. Women in perimenopause have the second-highest number of unexpected or unplanned pregnancies:
Yes, Honey—after teenagers, women in perimenopause have the second highest rate of "oops babies" because they think their fertility has decreased. Turns out, you can not have a period and still be fertile—so be careful, chile!
2. There's a research center in New Zealand that specializes in studying this condition and what it does to women:
The Australasian Menopause Society is made up of doctors and other health care professionals who have a special interest in women's health in midlife, and they actually hold a scientific congress in Australia or in New Zealand every year called the World Congress on Menopause!
3. You're probably using the term menopause wrong:
Menopause itself is a singular event. It's the day when you have officially hit 12 months with no period. So you don't actually go through menopause; you go through perimenopause, which usually is a period of four to seven years before menopause during which you experience the symptoms affectionately (lol) known as The Change. What's really happening in that time, is the body's production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone decreases, and a little testosterone too.
4. Only 1 out of 5 OBGYNs is trained in medical school to manage menopause. It's not even required to be on the curriculum:
A recent national survey found that only 31% of OB/GYN residency programs reported having a dedicated menopause curriculum.
5. In traditional Chinese cultures and other Asian cultures, menopause is called the "second spring”:
Lori explained that the first spring is the period where you're taking care of your children and/or spouse. In the second spring you don't have to nourish anyone but yourself, making it a welcome time in these cultures.
6. A "crone" was originally simply defined as a menopausal woman:
In the Dark Ages, it was assumed that because an older woman could no longer give birth, she might put a hex on the young women and endanger those who were fertile. Even the thinning hair or whiskers on the chin that women in this age range tend to experience were perverted to associate crones with witches. Lori found in her research that the most common age group of women accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake were post-menopausal women.
7. Black and Latino women enter perimenopause earlier and experience more severe symptoms than white women:
Guess why? If you guessed "because of the stressors of systemic racism,” you are correct!
Lori covered so much more ground in the episode, including specific diet, exercise, and mindset tips for Honeys. To learn more than these 7 Things We Didn't Know About Perimenopause, check out Episode 206 of CHILE, PLEASE above, and please share it with your friends!