'The 6 things I didn't know about menopause. Until I was in it.'

While already feeling flushed in the face, I put a fitted sheet on a queen size bed for the second time this week — which made me feel like I was positively glowing.   

And by glowing, I don't mean in the fresh-faced, radiant way... rather, what it would look like if I had tiny rivers streaming down my face. It doesn't seem to matter that it's currently the middle of winter; I needed fresh sheets and air conditioning. 

Menopause. The symptoms just keep coming in all their hot and sweaty glory.

What does feel refreshing though, is that menopause is having a much-needed moment. It's very much a part of a conversation we need to have — and to keep having. No longer a topic reserved for hushed voices and intimate circles, instead women are openly declaring their menopause status. You can probably buy the T-shirt.

So here's mine, in the form of 6 things I didn't personally know about menopause. Until I was actually... in it.

The menopause village is real.

What I've come to notice is that we willingly swap symptoms and lament about our moods and melting makeup. We fan ourselves at the hairdresser and swap knowing smiles with other women. 

We turn up the air conditioning and kick off the doona cover. We keep tweezers in the car because the rear-view mirror lighting is so good, and chin hairs are pesky little creatures, aren’t they? 

We send our fellow menopause mates memes to lighten the mood, and we share podcasts and Instagram stories that highlight the plights of women and menopause. 

By sharing our experiences, we feel less alone and more seen. 

There's more than HRT.

Two things can be true at the same time. So despite all the hormonal-related discussions I'm having with the village, it's that rarely do we actually discuss all the options for symptom relief, which leaves many of us in the dark, until we might need something to help. Urgently.

Up until recently, my naïve assumption was that relief came only in the form of HRT, or a solution that my doctor can only prescribe. Beyond that, I thought options were limited and I am fairly sure most of my friends would agree. Menopause might be natural, but it seemed the treatments were less so. 

For example, Remifemin has been shown clinically to support menopause relief from hot flushes to night sweats. And it's available just from your local pharmacy without a prescription.

Remifemin contains a plant extract, natural active ingredient black cohosh — a proven and effective way to reduce uncomfortable hot flushes and relieve unpleasant night sweats, commonly associated with menopause. What's also reassuring is that Remifemin is hormone-free, and backed by over 60 years of research, which is why it's a market-leading product more of the menopause village should know about. (Always read the label and follow the directions for use.)

That insomnia hits like it does.

A quick Google search tells me that there are more than 48 symptoms of menopause. Which seems a little excessive if you ask me. Unsurprisingly, the more commonly chatted-about symptoms like hot flushes and night sweats are at the top of the list, and others I could easily relate to — though closely associated to those common two is insomnia. 

A combination of taking forever to fall asleep, only to have the obligatory 3am wake-up, not only made me tired... but my capacity to function like a decent human being the next day was limited at best.   

Itchy, dry skin — and the need for a good moisturiser.

To top off my exhaustion, I also had itchy dry skin. Ordinarily for me, it's easily managed with a decent moisturiser, providing said moisturiser didn’t slip off my skin because I felt like I as melting.

Are we having fun yet?

The brain fog beat my experience of 'baby brain'.

My baby brain may well be a distant memory but by comparison, it was nothing compared to my menopausal mind, which has continually left me feeling surrounded in a grey, cloudy fog. 

My inability to maintain any decent train of thought has been frustratingly low. I would quite literally walk into a room and forget the reason why I was there. And that might be a cliché, but it was truly my reality. My mind had taken its own extended vacation and forgot to put a leave form in. 

My wobbly mood.

I also felt unusually sensitive and anxious for no specific reason other than my menopausal status. It is unsettling to feel so on edge all the time. I remember having coffee with a girlfriend one morning and we could not decide if my anxiety was better or worse than her experience, which was that she was in a perpetual state of being annoyed at everyone. In hindsight, we should have been drinking decaf by this point.

For women experiencing menopause, it's sadly so easy and commonplace to feel isolated. Which is exactly why I love that menopause has gained greater visibility and is now a topic of open, candid discussion. I find it empowering to talk about my own experience. 

Now, I just have to work out a better way to put a fitted sheet on to my bed.

Check out Remifemin for menopause symptom relief of hot flushes and night sweats, available in pharmacies without a prescription.

Always read the label and follow the directions for use.

Remifemin is the world’s number one selling pharmacy menopause relief brands, according to IQVIA Midas OTC 12D4 2023 Volume (77 countries).

Osmers R, et al. Efficacy and safety of isopropanolic black cohosh extract for climacteric symptoms. Obstet Gynecol. 2005 May;105(5 Pt 1):1074-83. 

Feature Image: Supplied.