Menopause Awareness Month: Why We Must Talk About It
When I first began experiencing peri-menopausal symptoms, it didn’t look or feel dramatic. In fact, it was more of a “meh” feeling. Nothing seemed quite right, but I couldn’t put my finger on why.
I’ve always been proactive, motivated and full of energy – the type of person who would happily get up at dawn for a 10k run or take the dogs for a long walk before work. I never snoozed my alarm, not once. I’d either wake before it or jump straight up when it rang.
But slowly, something changed. I started snoozing my alarm, or worse, I’d wake in the night and bargain with myself about why it would be fine to reset my alarm for later. “The dogs can wait,” I’d think. I stopped feeling like me.
The Symptoms No One Warned Me About
It wasn’t just the tiredness. Weight crept on in all the wrong places. My emotions became unpredictable. I could swing from tears of sadness to sheer rage – proper rage – with no obvious trigger. What started as the occasional “off day” became a daily cycle of sadness and frustration.
At my lowest point, I even caught myself thinking: “I just don’t want to be here anymore.” Not because of my family or loved ones – I adored them – but because life itself felt unbearably heavy.
It was my husband who finally said: “I need to get you to the doctors; this can’t continue.” And he was right.
The Diagnosis
After speaking with my GP and going through tests, I learned that I was peri-menopausal. And honestly, it was a relief. I wasn’t going mad. I wasn’t broken. My body had simply reached the stage that nearly all women do, usually between the ages of 45 and 55. In fact, the average age for menopause in the UK is 51, but peri-menopause – the transition stage leading up to it – can start much earlier, often in a woman’s 40s.
Opening Up the Conversation
At the time, I was living with my husband, my son and our foster son. I chose to be completely open with them. I wanted them to understand that menopause is real, it affects every woman differently, and it can completely shift how we feel – physically, emotionally and mentally.
Some women breeze through it with little disruption. Others, like me, find it incredibly tough. But whether symptoms are mild or severe, the reality is that menopause changes us, and we shouldn’t suffer in silence.
Finding My Way Back to Me
Alongside medical advice and being open with my family, one of the most important steps in my journey was focusing on my overall health and wellbeing. I turned to Arbonne’s 30 Days to Healthy Living programme, which helped me reset and rebalance my gut health. From there, I built daily habits that I still continue, including using the Green Gut Glow package.
These small but powerful shifts in nutrition and routine made a huge difference in my energy, mindset, weight and overall wellbeing. For me, Arbonne has been an invaluable part of managing my peri-menopausal journey.
Why Awareness Matters
- Symptoms vary widely – from hot flushes, brain fog, and weight gain to mood swings, anxiety and sleep disruption.
- It’s not “just hormones” – these changes affect relationships, careers and mental health.
- Support makes the difference – whether it’s talking to your GP, considering treatment options like HRT, or simply being open with family and colleagues, awareness breaks the stigma.
My Message This Menopause Awareness Month
To every woman reading this: if something doesn’t feel right, speak up. Don’t dismiss it, and don’t wait until it becomes overwhelming. Your health and happiness matter.
And to the men reading: please listen, learn and be supportive. Whether it’s your partner, colleague, friend or family member, your understanding can make an enormous difference.
Menopause is not the end of who we are – but it is a transition. By talking about it openly, we can replace silence with strength, stigma with support, and confusion with clarity.
For me, getting a diagnosis and being honest about my journey was the start of getting me back. And incorporating the right nutrition and lifestyle support has helped me feel stronger and more balanced than I thought possible.
If you’d like to hear more about the Arbonne products that have supported me – or my personal experience of using them – I’d be more than happy to share. Sometimes, the smallest changes can make the biggest difference.