Don't settle..........

No, you are not mad.........

No, you are not imagining it..........

I really don't know where to start......so I'll start way back several years back with a visit to my female GP.

Keep in mind that I'm 64 and well and truly post menopausal.

My symptoms - vaginal pain during sex. I had nooooo idea why?

- I now know it was part of menopause

My GP sends me off for one of those oh so delightful pelvic ultrasounds.

Result - all good. Absolutely no reason for the pain. Nothing further to be said.

End of that story. Toddle off home and just suck it up (so to speak)

Roll on through the years of peri menopause and several years post menopause I rock up to my GP.

Now there's the vaginal dryness for which my GP suggests all manner of solutions (none of which were explained nor was the reason for the dryness explained.

- All part of menopause

A routine check shows gradual increase in cholesterol, blood pressure and weight gain. And that's just the stuff you can measure and see........

- All part of menopause

What a shitstorm!!!!

Aaand when I dare to blame menopause I get this sideways look from my GP as if to say "so you're gonna blame menopause for everything are you?" Which of course left me feeling like I'm imagining things 'cause she's the doctor after all and she knows more than me, right?

So I have two choices -

Continue to feel like I am one neurotic woman with no clue

or

Educate myself more on how best to deal with this shitstorm and how best to move forward knowing I'm not going crazy. These things are real, they are part of my changing body/hormones and there are things to be done to alleviate these issues surrounding menopausal change.

Oh, and find a new GP

Now I'm not one to put a downer on menopause because we ladies have the privilege of being on this earth when many others don't. I'm merely saying that it's time to educate ourselves on what is actually happening to our body and seek help.

There's soooo much that can be done.

Life is a storybook with many chapters. And like any book the plot has many twists and turns. This is merely the start of a new chapter. Grab it and run with it.

Much love