Women’s Voices: The Lived Experience of the Path To Menopause

Most women assume that menopause-related changes will happen at age 50 or later. But for many, the changes begin long before that, while periods are still coming monthly. In this chapter from the book “Each Woman’s Menopause,” Nina Coslov shares the confusion and surprise she felt when she experienced early symptoms and shares the experiences of others in perimenopause.

“When I saw my health care provider, I hadn’t known that while regular, my cycles were shortening. I had had a 33–35-day cycles for many years but I had stopped tracking my cycles as I wasn’t trying to get pregnant and pregnancy prevention was no longer a concern as my partner had had a vasectomy. Had I known then what I’ve come to learn, I would have been able to link my sleep and mood changes to fluctuating hormones.”

SOURCE: Women Living Better • AUTHOR: Nina Coslov • LAST UPDATED: January 1, 2022