September 7, 2023 • 21 mins
Kris and Andi come to terms with being in the perimenopause target market, and Kris’s denial is palpable.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hey, I'm Chris, I'm Andy and this is my Vagina
said what.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
We're back? So Chris, I have a confession for you.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Okay, I am wearing for the very first time today
a pea pad.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yes, finally, so I try.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
I'm trying it out, and I have to say, there's
a few things I really like about it.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
I told you, trust me, I know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
You are the product guru.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yes, of the new I'll try it first.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
So ladies, if you haven't tried one yet, you I
think might want to give it a go.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Oh yeah, you would totally benefit from trying a And
I know that they're not typically called peapads, but that's
what I like to call them, pea pads.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
I think I'm going to come up with a different name, but.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
You don't like my name.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
No, it sounds like a dog. I told you that.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
But I think that it's more comfortable than a pantyliner,
and I was picturing a pantyliner more comfortable. And also
it doesn't have wings, so there's no clinging to any
side pubes or getting stuck on your skin or your pants.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Okay, my question is what type of pantyliners are you
using that are uncomfortable? Because my panty liners are paper thin?
They literally are paper thin.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Yeah, mine are two. I think I might know the
problem though, but I only.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Wear thongs, so I try to squeeze them like a
sticker in the bag.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Wear some real underwear. That's your problem, because panny liners
are like the most comfortable thing you could wear.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
No, I like the pea pad, but I do have
on a full bottom.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Okay, so maybe is that that?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Why do you you're always wearing dogs? You can't put
a penny lighter on a thong?
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Actually, I think they do make thong pantyliners. Really, Yes,
I think they do.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Only you would know about that.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Yes, I think I've seen it.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Okay, because I hate a pantyline, so I'm always the
thong kind of lady.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Yeah. I'm not thinking about my pantyline at all, honestly, Okay,
I could care less. And you're looking at my butt?
Keep looking?
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Okay, Well I thought you were kind of weird, but
maybe you're just actually enlightened.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
I'd rather think I was weird.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
So, Chris, what is your vagina saying to you? Today?
Speaker 3 (02:32):
What? Now? Today? We're talking about perimenopause and trying to
figure out what's happening to our bodies and what they're
telling us.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Okay, let's talk about why you are bitter, Chris.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Today, I am a little bitter. I'm not gonna lie
because initially I really didn't want to talk about this.
It does make me feel old. But I did do
a lot of research, and in talking to a few
ever hum in Chinas, they seemed embarrassed or as if
they didn't know that they had symptoms. Everyone bore this badge.
(03:07):
Like no, I didn't go through menopause. It was easy
for me, and I don't like that. I feel like
everyone should be open to discussing what we're going through
because we are in this together.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Okay, you sound super believable right now, but even before
we hit record on today's podcast, you did not want
to record this.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
I don't know, I'm feeling. I have some feelings about this.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
I think that you're just in denial because legit, you
are in the menopause age bracket and today all.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
We're trying to do is talk about perimenopause.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Okay, I agree, but I'm not in the so called
menopause bracket. Menopause is like after fifty and it's when
your period stopped for a year. Yes, my period is
stopped for Actually, no, it's not even been a year
because I was just spotting last week. So no, I'm
Menopause is after you haven't had a period for year. Yes,
(04:07):
I may be in pery menopause, which is fine. I
don't think that's the reason I'm so bitter about it.
I think I'm bitter about it because no one wants
to talk about it, and I want to open the
floodgates now.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Well, the cat is out of the bag, babe. You
have like a forty year old kid.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Oh my god, he's twenty eight.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Stop all right, Well you're all in now because we're recording.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
I'm ready, all right.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
I just want us to have context for our symptoms,
so that when we're experiencing something, we can at least
understand why, as opposed to just chasing symptoms around all day.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
I agree, I agree, but I'm not gonna lie. It's
a bit confusing, and it does make me feel a
little old.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Yeah, but instead of hiding it because we're meant to
feel shame, because I agree, I feel like that too.
But we should talk about it so that we don't
murder people that we love.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Absolutely, I don't want anyone to get murdered. So in
researching this episode, I saw that one of the symptoms
was frequent urination. You know, I get up about every
forty five minutes during the night to pe yep. So
I called the doctor. I made my appointment. Apparently I
was due for my annual. So I went in for
my annual and I say, I want to talk about menopause.
(05:25):
I think that I might be having some symptoms. What
can we do about it.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
I didn't know you went in that direct like that.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Oh yeah, okay, because I'm I'm always sending emails and
messages asking a bunch of questions. So he says, okay,
we'll give you the FSH the filical stimulating hormone.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Test, right, hy Okay, I've never had that before.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Okay, I've had it a few times for my infertility treatments,
and my level was sixteen point six miu right, I
was literally point one miu from being in menopause stage.
But he sends me an email that says, hold on,
I'm going to click. I'm going to click and show
you the email that he sent and read it to you. Okay,
(06:11):
so the email he sent after my test results didn't
call me to discuss it at all. He just says,
She says, this is a message from doctor blank. Right,
FSH is not overwhelmingly consistent with menopause. Would consider repeating
in twelve months if symptomatic, Dude, I'm symptomatic. I'm symptomatic. Plus,
(06:35):
they never even addressed the fact that I'm having frequent
urination issues.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
So there was just you don't have unusual pH level,
and so oh FSH level, so you are good to go,
nothing to be done.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
Oh apparently I'm in mid cycle.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Piece, Okay, what's that mean?
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Just means I'm in the middle of my cycle. So
they have a lot of different phases of your fsage
hormone throughout your period and your cycle, and like before
you're ovulating and then after you're ovulating. I was in
the middle, Okay, all right, next week I may not be.
(07:15):
So I think that it's a test that they should
take frequently to determine if I am menopausal.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Yeah, there was another everyday vagina I was talking to,
she said twice that she had the test that indicated
that she was not, so it threw her entire way
she approached trying to get healthy again because she kept
testing negative when in fact, those can be negative one
(07:41):
day and then show that your perimenopausal another.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
If we could just acknowledge that, once we reach say
thirty five, that symptoms such as these frequent urination, dryness, sweating, hot,
flat mood swings are attributed to perimenopause, we are all
(08:07):
in the process of going through menopause where our ovaries
are producing less estrogen and our bodies are reacting to that. Right.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
It's crazy because until we started having these conversations about
these symptoms, I had never associated my pea problems with
being perimnopausal.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Neither did I.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
I obviously I just blamed it on pregnancies me too.
But that's the whole point here.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
We know now from reading that loss of tissue tone
can contribute to urinary incontinence.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Oh my god, lost tone. It sounds makes me sound
like I have a sad vagina. Loss of tissue tone.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
It's an old, bitty vagina and that and that's a
beautiful thing.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
It is a beautiful thing. We do need to acknowledge
that we've been through hell and high water and we're
still here.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Well, you know what time it is, pee break?
Speaker 3 (09:05):
You have to go pe.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I know, stick with us, there's more to discuss.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Be right back.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Who I feel better?
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Mean too?
Speaker 2 (09:27):
That was a relief. Okay.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
I think the biggest symptom that I'm currently experiencing are
night sweats.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
It's unreal.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
I've had them before, like when you're sick, but this
is like every month. I'm getting them, like typically three
four days in a row. Then I have a break,
but it's just I'm so wet. I have to change
my shirt, my underwear, I have to get a fresh blanket,
sleep on a different part of the bed, and I
feel disgusting and it disturbs my sleep.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Oh yeah, it's like lava in my veins. And my
husband's like, oh my god, I can feel the heat
radiating off your body. Move over.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Yeah I know.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Did you know there was a name for that? What? Yeah,
Max Baso motor symptoms associated with menopause. Oh, that's what
hot flashes are. There's a website card called what'svms dot com. Okay,
we'll give you information on night sweats and how to
deal with them.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
So quick.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Side note, my boiler is broken, so there is no
heat in my house.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Woke up this morning and it was fifty six.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Degrees sixty one outside.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Yeah, it's freezing in here.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
So my son was cuddled up with me last night
and I woke up in the middle of the night drenched,
and I was like, oh.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Here we go again.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
And turns out he just peed the bed and peed
all over me, changed my clothes, went and slept in
a different bed. But I'm so used to getting soaking
wet that it was not alarming.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
It was not alarming at all. You thought it was you.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Yeah, but there's so many other symptoms.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
That we've spoken about with other everyday vaginas, right, and
we want to hear about what they're going through.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
So we spoke to it every Day Vagina and she
told us what her experiences were like listening.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
You mentioned that your pre menopuzzle. What symptoms are you experiencing?
Speaker 4 (11:24):
Depression, weight gain, no motivation, just life sucks right now?
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Okay, So this weight gain thing really has me thinking.
I have been struggling with weight gain for maybe like
the last three months. It's so bad that I honestly
don't even want to get on a scale. I can
still fit my genes, but I can feel the heaviness
right around the center.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
I have also gained weight.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
I'm still thin, but I have gained about ten pounds now.
I do eat like crap, but I do feel this
heaviness in my palvis, kind of like a weight in
my lower abdomen area that I just never felt before,
like a bloated, full feeling.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
What I feel.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
I feel bloated, and I've never even when I had periods,
I never experienced that symptom during my period.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
So I've had that before with weight gain, and I
just can tell that I've gained weight.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Yeah, so, and I.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
Haven't necessarily been eating very differently. I haven't been exercising,
I will admit that, but I haven't been binging her anything.
And I just feel like I've gained weight now. Granted,
if I stop drinking, maybe I'll lose some weight. But
I didn't realize that it actually is could be associated
(12:46):
with perimenopause.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Here's another Everyday Vagina's experience. Did you have any other symptoms?
Speaker 4 (12:53):
I had the night sweats and then I gained twenty pounds.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Did you gain the twenty pounds like right before you
went menopausal or was that kind of at the beginning
of your perimenopausal journey or like kind of graduate.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Great question.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
I would say, by the time I knew I was
in menopause, twenty pounds had crept. And by no, I
mean like I hadn't had a period in a year.
But those sixteen months where I was just like having
like where I was having periods every couple months, is
when the pounds were just kind of piling on.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
So again, we now know that irregular periods and also
changes in your period flow so heavy too, or lighter
than previous, is also another sign of perimenopause. And I
got thinking, maybe that's why my period got so heavy.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Which thrust me into the IUD route.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Haven't your period's always been heavy?
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Yeah? Yeah, yeah, but they got heavier.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
I mean it's like when the Niagara falls, is just
having an influx of a storm.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Oh my god, so heavy. It's really hard for me
to acknowledge whether or not your peerage actually heavy because
you consider spotting being on your period, yeah, I do.
So therefore, if that's the case, I had a really
heavy period last week where I were a panteliner the
whole week because I was spotting.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
I think rage is the symptom that I fear the most.
I know so many women who have suffered and their
families have suffered because their rage was like undeniable, And
I'm just scared to go down that dark road.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
I don't need.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
That vibe now. It's like PM mess on acid.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Yeah, I'm terrified. Here's an everyday vagina and her story.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
So can you tell me some of your experience with
feelings of rage during.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Yes, I would get what would start with irritability with
something like my husband coming into the kitchen and asking,
is are a plan for dinner? Every night I make dinner?
It is not unreasonable for him to say what's the
plan for dinner? And I would flip the fuck out
on this guy, flip it out, and then it would
escalate in a way that I would watch his eyes
(15:15):
be like and he says him like, I'm just gonna go,
and I would like chase.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Him out of the kitchen.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
I was so furious. I was like, do you have
any idea what I do all day long? He's like
everything that you do? Everything?
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Everything.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
I'm like, oh, that's very easy out, isn't it very
easy out? He could not win, and he would retreat,
and he would retreat, and then it gotcha point where
it was a problem in our family because we have
teenage kids. They would be like what and my story
was all like he's a month like but then like
literally my kids would corner me and go what did
(15:52):
he do? And I could not answer.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
The question he asked. He asked about dinner, and god damn.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
It, They're like, well, you I saw you always make dinner,
and you say you like to make dinner and every
night everyone else so they can help it. Every night
you tell us go away, what do we do? To
the point where we had without like after action, like
the next day we're going to be like, how are
we doing?
Speaker 2 (16:12):
And how are we doing?
Speaker 4 (16:13):
I'm fine because you were really angry, like it's scary,
to the point where I actually had to be like,
but I never attributed to hormones.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
But but would that have been helpful for you?
Speaker 4 (16:27):
Yes, so you have been able to like I never
really PMS, but like women who PMS really hard would
say to their partners like, just buckle up, fusser, because
I'm gonna space.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
Right.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
I never had that, so I never knew to say, like, hey,
I'm just feeling kind of some way. I didn't know
that that's what it was.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
I also hear a lot of complaints related to sleep problems.
I have insomnia pretty bad.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
I do too.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
I struggle with getting to sleep, and which is new.
The following asleep part is new to me because usually
I can fall asleep, I just can't stay asleep. Same
But lately I've been struggling to go to sleep, so
I've been taking melatonin.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Has it helped?
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Yes, absolutely, it absolutely has helped.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
I've tried. It doesn't help me at all.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
Oh God, I'm up to like thirty milligrams, which I'm
pretty sure is not the recommended dosage. But I didn't
realize that sleep problems were also a symptom of perimenopause.
And just like our pregnancy, our periods, they're all unique
to the individual. The symptoms will be different based on
(17:37):
the person. Because I know that my pregnancy was way
different than any of your pregnancies.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Yeah, exactly, here's some other unusual symptoms that were perimenopausal.
What were some of your symptoms that you experienced during menopause.
Speaker 4 (17:53):
I had probably like six months of like bizarrow and
I would wake up and literally have baseball and alligator
skin like crusty, scally. Two times I called off work
because I would had to be on zoom and I
looked crazy and I assumed it was an allergy to something.
So I went through the whole, like I scrubbed my
entire face care system. I went through a whole like
(18:15):
diet restriction. Finally went to a dermatologist where like, huh,
seems fungal. My research showed the fungal on the skin
it can relate to hormones. So I brought it up
and the doctor was like, oh, yeah, that could who knows,
Like I haven't a period in nine months? Okay, so,
and I was prescribed something for it. But like, as
(18:37):
soon as I got on the other side of menopause.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
There is good news. I'm reading a book called The
Woman Code, Perfect Your Cycle, Amplify your fertility, supercharge your
sex drive, and become a power source by Alissa BIDDI.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Mmmm, that sounds super inspirational.
Speaker 3 (18:58):
It is it is. I heard it about it on
another podcast, and it's supposed to help with things like
pcos endometriosis as well as perry and menopausal symptoms.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Yeah, there is solutions to some of the symptoms we're experiencing,
or at least relief from some, including hormone treatment.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Now, this book is asking for you to change your
diet and to check the products that you use. I
will tell you that I bought the actual physical book
and also purchase the audiobook.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
You're such an overachiever and.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
I am still only halfway through it. It does require
a lot more discipline than I think I am used to. Yeah,
I'm not. I haven't given up just yet, though, So
I keep trying, and you know, I want to share
it with you. We need to breathe through it.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
And actually, maybe that would be great if we as
a community could talk about some of the solutions that
you have found to some of the symptoms we're experiencing.
So I feel right now justified. I'm going to to
start my own personal movement. I'm going to start blaming
anything that goes wrong in my life on Perry menopause.
(20:08):
So forget to pick up for a kid from school,
Perry menopause, lake hare too long, Perry menopause, don't have
the will to clean.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Perry menopause exactly. You know, I have a friend who
was experiencing severe night sweats and she drank a tea.
Now I don't remember what the name of this tea is.
I think it's Chinese medicine.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Can you ask her?
Speaker 3 (20:34):
I will definitely ask her. But she said it helped
with her her symptoms and she was having extreme night sweat.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Okay, because that would be wonderful. Yes, we'll post it
once we figure it out. Let's post it.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
Yes, we'll post it on Instagram once we figure out
what that tea is. Yeah, So what we're looking for
is to hear what do you do to help relieve
your symptoms and what symptoms have you had that maybe
we've not heard of, because I'm sure there's some other
stuff out there that hasn't been discussed. Thank you so
much for listening to what our vaginas are saying. For questions, comments,
(21:09):
or to let us know what your vagina is saying,
please email us at myvagina Said What at gmail dot
com DM and follow us on Instagram and Facebook at
hashtag my vagina Said What. Listen, subscribe and rate us
on Seneca Women, iHeartRadio, or wherever you listen.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Our vagina knowledge is based solely on our experience as
vagina owners. Please see your doctor if you have any
concerns about your vagina.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
What
Hey, I'm Chris, I'm Andy and this is my Vagina
said what.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
We're back? So Chris, I have a confession for you.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Okay, I am wearing for the very first time today
a pea pad.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yes, finally, so I try.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
I'm trying it out, and I have to say, there's
a few things I really like about it.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
I told you, trust me, I know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
You are the product guru.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yes, of the new I'll try it first.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
So ladies, if you haven't tried one yet, you I
think might want to give it a go.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Oh yeah, you would totally benefit from trying a And
I know that they're not typically called peapads, but that's
what I like to call them, pea pads.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
I think I'm going to come up with a different name, but.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
You don't like my name.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
No, it sounds like a dog. I told you that.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
But I think that it's more comfortable than a pantyliner,
and I was picturing a pantyliner more comfortable. And also
it doesn't have wings, so there's no clinging to any
side pubes or getting stuck on your skin or your pants.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Okay, my question is what type of pantyliners are you
using that are uncomfortable? Because my panty liners are paper thin?
They literally are paper thin.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Yeah, mine are two. I think I might know the
problem though, but I only.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Wear thongs, so I try to squeeze them like a
sticker in the bag.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Wear some real underwear. That's your problem, because panny liners
are like the most comfortable thing you could wear.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
No, I like the pea pad, but I do have
on a full bottom.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Okay, so maybe is that that?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Why do you you're always wearing dogs? You can't put
a penny lighter on a thong?
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Actually, I think they do make thong pantyliners. Really, Yes,
I think they do.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Only you would know about that.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Yes, I think I've seen it.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Okay, because I hate a pantyline, so I'm always the
thong kind of lady.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Yeah. I'm not thinking about my pantyline at all, honestly, Okay,
I could care less. And you're looking at my butt?
Keep looking?
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Okay, Well I thought you were kind of weird, but
maybe you're just actually enlightened.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
I'd rather think I was weird.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
So, Chris, what is your vagina saying to you? Today?
Speaker 3 (02:32):
What? Now? Today? We're talking about perimenopause and trying to
figure out what's happening to our bodies and what they're
telling us.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Okay, let's talk about why you are bitter, Chris.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Today, I am a little bitter. I'm not gonna lie
because initially I really didn't want to talk about this.
It does make me feel old. But I did do
a lot of research, and in talking to a few
ever hum in Chinas, they seemed embarrassed or as if
they didn't know that they had symptoms. Everyone bore this badge.
(03:07):
Like no, I didn't go through menopause. It was easy
for me, and I don't like that. I feel like
everyone should be open to discussing what we're going through
because we are in this together.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Okay, you sound super believable right now, but even before
we hit record on today's podcast, you did not want
to record this.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
I don't know, I'm feeling. I have some feelings about this.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
I think that you're just in denial because legit, you
are in the menopause age bracket and today all.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
We're trying to do is talk about perimenopause.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Okay, I agree, but I'm not in the so called
menopause bracket. Menopause is like after fifty and it's when
your period stopped for a year. Yes, my period is
stopped for Actually, no, it's not even been a year
because I was just spotting last week. So no, I'm
Menopause is after you haven't had a period for year. Yes,
(04:07):
I may be in pery menopause, which is fine. I
don't think that's the reason I'm so bitter about it.
I think I'm bitter about it because no one wants
to talk about it, and I want to open the
floodgates now.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Well, the cat is out of the bag, babe. You
have like a forty year old kid.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Oh my god, he's twenty eight.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Stop all right, Well you're all in now because we're recording.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
I'm ready, all right.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
I just want us to have context for our symptoms,
so that when we're experiencing something, we can at least
understand why, as opposed to just chasing symptoms around all day.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
I agree, I agree, but I'm not gonna lie. It's
a bit confusing, and it does make me feel a
little old.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Yeah, but instead of hiding it because we're meant to
feel shame, because I agree, I feel like that too.
But we should talk about it so that we don't
murder people that we love.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Absolutely, I don't want anyone to get murdered. So in
researching this episode, I saw that one of the symptoms
was frequent urination. You know, I get up about every
forty five minutes during the night to pe yep. So
I called the doctor. I made my appointment. Apparently I
was due for my annual. So I went in for
my annual and I say, I want to talk about menopause.
(05:25):
I think that I might be having some symptoms. What
can we do about it.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
I didn't know you went in that direct like that.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Oh yeah, okay, because I'm I'm always sending emails and
messages asking a bunch of questions. So he says, okay,
we'll give you the FSH the filical stimulating hormone.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Test, right, hy Okay, I've never had that before.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Okay, I've had it a few times for my infertility treatments,
and my level was sixteen point six miu right, I
was literally point one miu from being in menopause stage.
But he sends me an email that says, hold on,
I'm going to click. I'm going to click and show
you the email that he sent and read it to you. Okay,
(06:11):
so the email he sent after my test results didn't
call me to discuss it at all. He just says,
She says, this is a message from doctor blank. Right,
FSH is not overwhelmingly consistent with menopause. Would consider repeating
in twelve months if symptomatic, Dude, I'm symptomatic. I'm symptomatic. Plus,
(06:35):
they never even addressed the fact that I'm having frequent
urination issues.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
So there was just you don't have unusual pH level,
and so oh FSH level, so you are good to go,
nothing to be done.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
Oh apparently I'm in mid cycle.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Piece, Okay, what's that mean?
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Just means I'm in the middle of my cycle. So
they have a lot of different phases of your fsage
hormone throughout your period and your cycle, and like before
you're ovulating and then after you're ovulating. I was in
the middle, Okay, all right, next week I may not be.
(07:15):
So I think that it's a test that they should
take frequently to determine if I am menopausal.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Yeah, there was another everyday vagina I was talking to,
she said twice that she had the test that indicated
that she was not, so it threw her entire way
she approached trying to get healthy again because she kept
testing negative when in fact, those can be negative one
(07:41):
day and then show that your perimenopausal another.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
If we could just acknowledge that, once we reach say
thirty five, that symptoms such as these frequent urination, dryness, sweating, hot,
flat mood swings are attributed to perimenopause, we are all
(08:07):
in the process of going through menopause where our ovaries
are producing less estrogen and our bodies are reacting to that. Right.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
It's crazy because until we started having these conversations about
these symptoms, I had never associated my pea problems with
being perimnopausal.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Neither did I.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
I obviously I just blamed it on pregnancies me too.
But that's the whole point here.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
We know now from reading that loss of tissue tone
can contribute to urinary incontinence.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Oh my god, lost tone. It sounds makes me sound
like I have a sad vagina. Loss of tissue tone.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
It's an old, bitty vagina and that and that's a
beautiful thing.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
It is a beautiful thing. We do need to acknowledge
that we've been through hell and high water and we're
still here.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Well, you know what time it is, pee break?
Speaker 3 (09:05):
You have to go pe.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I know, stick with us, there's more to discuss.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Be right back.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Who I feel better?
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Mean too?
Speaker 2 (09:27):
That was a relief. Okay.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
I think the biggest symptom that I'm currently experiencing are
night sweats.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
It's unreal.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
I've had them before, like when you're sick, but this
is like every month. I'm getting them, like typically three
four days in a row. Then I have a break,
but it's just I'm so wet. I have to change
my shirt, my underwear, I have to get a fresh blanket,
sleep on a different part of the bed, and I
feel disgusting and it disturbs my sleep.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Oh yeah, it's like lava in my veins. And my
husband's like, oh my god, I can feel the heat
radiating off your body. Move over.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Yeah I know.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Did you know there was a name for that? What? Yeah,
Max Baso motor symptoms associated with menopause. Oh, that's what
hot flashes are. There's a website card called what'svms dot com. Okay,
we'll give you information on night sweats and how to
deal with them.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
So quick.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Side note, my boiler is broken, so there is no
heat in my house.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Woke up this morning and it was fifty six.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Degrees sixty one outside.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Yeah, it's freezing in here.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
So my son was cuddled up with me last night
and I woke up in the middle of the night drenched,
and I was like, oh.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Here we go again.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
And turns out he just peed the bed and peed
all over me, changed my clothes, went and slept in
a different bed. But I'm so used to getting soaking
wet that it was not alarming.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
It was not alarming at all. You thought it was you.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Yeah, but there's so many other symptoms.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
That we've spoken about with other everyday vaginas, right, and
we want to hear about what they're going through.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
So we spoke to it every Day Vagina and she
told us what her experiences were like listening.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
You mentioned that your pre menopuzzle. What symptoms are you experiencing?
Speaker 4 (11:24):
Depression, weight gain, no motivation, just life sucks right now?
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Okay, So this weight gain thing really has me thinking.
I have been struggling with weight gain for maybe like
the last three months. It's so bad that I honestly
don't even want to get on a scale. I can
still fit my genes, but I can feel the heaviness
right around the center.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
I have also gained weight.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
I'm still thin, but I have gained about ten pounds now.
I do eat like crap, but I do feel this
heaviness in my palvis, kind of like a weight in
my lower abdomen area that I just never felt before,
like a bloated, full feeling.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
What I feel.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
I feel bloated, and I've never even when I had periods,
I never experienced that symptom during my period.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
So I've had that before with weight gain, and I
just can tell that I've gained weight.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Yeah, so, and I.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
Haven't necessarily been eating very differently. I haven't been exercising,
I will admit that, but I haven't been binging her anything.
And I just feel like I've gained weight now. Granted,
if I stop drinking, maybe I'll lose some weight. But
I didn't realize that it actually is could be associated
(12:46):
with perimenopause.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Here's another Everyday Vagina's experience. Did you have any other symptoms?
Speaker 4 (12:53):
I had the night sweats and then I gained twenty pounds.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Did you gain the twenty pounds like right before you
went menopausal or was that kind of at the beginning
of your perimenopausal journey or like kind of graduate.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Great question.
Speaker 4 (13:08):
I would say, by the time I knew I was
in menopause, twenty pounds had crept. And by no, I
mean like I hadn't had a period in a year.
But those sixteen months where I was just like having
like where I was having periods every couple months, is
when the pounds were just kind of piling on.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
So again, we now know that irregular periods and also
changes in your period flow so heavy too, or lighter
than previous, is also another sign of perimenopause. And I
got thinking, maybe that's why my period got so heavy.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Which thrust me into the IUD route.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Haven't your period's always been heavy?
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Yeah? Yeah, yeah, but they got heavier.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
I mean it's like when the Niagara falls, is just
having an influx of a storm.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Oh my god, so heavy. It's really hard for me
to acknowledge whether or not your peerage actually heavy because
you consider spotting being on your period, yeah, I do.
So therefore, if that's the case, I had a really
heavy period last week where I were a panteliner the
whole week because I was spotting.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
I think rage is the symptom that I fear the most.
I know so many women who have suffered and their
families have suffered because their rage was like undeniable, And
I'm just scared to go down that dark road.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
I don't need.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
That vibe now. It's like PM mess on acid.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Yeah, I'm terrified. Here's an everyday vagina and her story.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
So can you tell me some of your experience with
feelings of rage during.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Yes, I would get what would start with irritability with
something like my husband coming into the kitchen and asking,
is are a plan for dinner? Every night I make dinner?
It is not unreasonable for him to say what's the
plan for dinner? And I would flip the fuck out
on this guy, flip it out, and then it would
escalate in a way that I would watch his eyes
(15:15):
be like and he says him like, I'm just gonna go,
and I would like chase.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Him out of the kitchen.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
I was so furious. I was like, do you have
any idea what I do all day long? He's like
everything that you do? Everything?
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Everything.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
I'm like, oh, that's very easy out, isn't it very
easy out? He could not win, and he would retreat,
and he would retreat, and then it gotcha point where
it was a problem in our family because we have
teenage kids. They would be like what and my story
was all like he's a month like but then like
literally my kids would corner me and go what did
(15:52):
he do? And I could not answer.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
The question he asked. He asked about dinner, and god damn.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
It, They're like, well, you I saw you always make dinner,
and you say you like to make dinner and every
night everyone else so they can help it. Every night
you tell us go away, what do we do? To
the point where we had without like after action, like
the next day we're going to be like, how are
we doing?
Speaker 2 (16:12):
And how are we doing?
Speaker 4 (16:13):
I'm fine because you were really angry, like it's scary,
to the point where I actually had to be like,
but I never attributed to hormones.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
But but would that have been helpful for you?
Speaker 4 (16:27):
Yes, so you have been able to like I never
really PMS, but like women who PMS really hard would
say to their partners like, just buckle up, fusser, because
I'm gonna space.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
Right.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
I never had that, so I never knew to say, like, hey,
I'm just feeling kind of some way. I didn't know
that that's what it was.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
I also hear a lot of complaints related to sleep problems.
I have insomnia pretty bad.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
I do too.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
I struggle with getting to sleep, and which is new.
The following asleep part is new to me because usually
I can fall asleep, I just can't stay asleep. Same
But lately I've been struggling to go to sleep, so
I've been taking melatonin.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Has it helped?
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Yes, absolutely, it absolutely has helped.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
I've tried. It doesn't help me at all.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
Oh God, I'm up to like thirty milligrams, which I'm
pretty sure is not the recommended dosage. But I didn't
realize that sleep problems were also a symptom of perimenopause.
And just like our pregnancy, our periods, they're all unique
to the individual. The symptoms will be different based on
(17:37):
the person. Because I know that my pregnancy was way
different than any of your pregnancies.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Yeah, exactly, here's some other unusual symptoms that were perimenopausal.
What were some of your symptoms that you experienced during menopause.
Speaker 4 (17:53):
I had probably like six months of like bizarrow and
I would wake up and literally have baseball and alligator
skin like crusty, scally. Two times I called off work
because I would had to be on zoom and I
looked crazy and I assumed it was an allergy to something.
So I went through the whole, like I scrubbed my
entire face care system. I went through a whole like
(18:15):
diet restriction. Finally went to a dermatologist where like, huh,
seems fungal. My research showed the fungal on the skin
it can relate to hormones. So I brought it up
and the doctor was like, oh, yeah, that could who knows,
Like I haven't a period in nine months? Okay, so,
and I was prescribed something for it. But like, as
(18:37):
soon as I got on the other side of menopause.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
There is good news. I'm reading a book called The
Woman Code, Perfect Your Cycle, Amplify your fertility, supercharge your
sex drive, and become a power source by Alissa BIDDI.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Mmmm, that sounds super inspirational.
Speaker 3 (18:58):
It is it is. I heard it about it on
another podcast, and it's supposed to help with things like
pcos endometriosis as well as perry and menopausal symptoms.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Yeah, there is solutions to some of the symptoms we're experiencing,
or at least relief from some, including hormone treatment.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Now, this book is asking for you to change your
diet and to check the products that you use. I
will tell you that I bought the actual physical book
and also purchase the audiobook.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
You're such an overachiever and.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
I am still only halfway through it. It does require
a lot more discipline than I think I am used to. Yeah,
I'm not. I haven't given up just yet, though, So
I keep trying, and you know, I want to share
it with you. We need to breathe through it.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
And actually, maybe that would be great if we as
a community could talk about some of the solutions that
you have found to some of the symptoms we're experiencing.
So I feel right now justified. I'm going to to
start my own personal movement. I'm going to start blaming
anything that goes wrong in my life on Perry menopause.
(20:08):
So forget to pick up for a kid from school,
Perry menopause, lake hare too long, Perry menopause, don't have
the will to clean.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Perry menopause exactly. You know, I have a friend who
was experiencing severe night sweats and she drank a tea.
Now I don't remember what the name of this tea is.
I think it's Chinese medicine.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Can you ask her?
Speaker 3 (20:34):
I will definitely ask her. But she said it helped
with her her symptoms and she was having extreme night sweat.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Okay, because that would be wonderful. Yes, we'll post it
once we figure it out. Let's post it.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
Yes, we'll post it on Instagram once we figure out
what that tea is. Yeah, So what we're looking for
is to hear what do you do to help relieve
your symptoms and what symptoms have you had that maybe
we've not heard of, because I'm sure there's some other
stuff out there that hasn't been discussed. Thank you so
much for listening to what our vaginas are saying. For questions, comments,
(21:09):
or to let us know what your vagina is saying,
please email us at myvagina Said What at gmail dot
com DM and follow us on Instagram and Facebook at
hashtag my vagina Said What. Listen, subscribe and rate us
on Seneca Women, iHeartRadio, or wherever you listen.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Our vagina knowledge is based solely on our experience as
vagina owners. Please see your doctor if you have any
concerns about your vagina.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
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