Why Didn’t Anyone Teach Us This? (Part B)
The Silence Around Perimenopause
1. The Education Gap: Where Was This Lesson?
Growing up, I remember how carefully we were taught about Puberty - Periods. Breast development. Hygiene. Even a little on reproduction.
But not once did anyone mention that another change — just as big, if not bigger — was coming later in life. No one said:
"One day, your periods will shift again. Your body will surprise you. Your skin, sleep, mood, and energy will change — not because you are sick or broken, but because you are in transition."
Why was this missing?
Some researchers believe it’s because aging in women remains an uncomfortable topic — especially when it signals the end of fertility. Menopause is seen as the "end of usefulness" in some cultural lenses. Others say it's simple oversight — our education systems haven’t caught up with the full span of a woman’s life.
The result? Generations of women, including us, walking into this stage blind and unprepared.
2. The Cultural and Medical Silence
It’s not just schools that are silent.
The medical world has long neglected perimenopause.
Historically, much of medical research was done on male bodies — the assumption being that women were "too complex" to study because of their cycles and hormones. Even today, some doctors dismiss perimenopausal symptoms as “stress” or “anxiety” without considering hormonal shifts.
Society, too, avoids this subject. Why? Because aging women challenge beauty standards, youth obsession, and productivity myths. In many cultures, there’s a quiet shame around midlife — as if to speak of hot flashes, brain fog, or sexual discomfort is somehow unseemly.
But silence has a price.
3. The Cost of Not Knowing
When I first noticed the sudden heavy flow, the brain fog, the recurring yeast infections, I was confused and even scared. My mind raced:
"What’s happening to me? Is this a disease? Is something wrong with me?"
I’m not alone. Many women get misdiagnosed with depression or anxiety, or are handed unnecessary medications — because no one, not even some healthcare providers, thinks to check for perimenopause.
We deserve better. We deserve information. We deserve to understand our bodies — not fear them.
4. The Power of Reclaiming Knowledge
This is why I started researching — and writing.
To help myself.
To help you.
To help the next woman who wonders why her life feels upside down.
Thankfully, this silence is breaking. More books, podcasts, articles, and women’s circles are naming this transition. Experts like Dr. Jen Gunter and Dr. Lisa Mosconi are speaking openly. Communities like ours — Gracefully In Transition — are making space for truth.
Because when women talk, healing begins.
When we share, shame dissolves.
When we understand, fear loses power.
Journal Prompt for This Week:
🖋 “What do you wish you had learned about perimenopause ten years ago? How would it have changed your journey?”
In Part C, we’ll go deeper into how perimenopause affects self-esteem, confidence, intimacy, and relationships — and how we can gently rebuild these parts of ourselves with grace.
Let’s keep the conversation going. 🌿