Menopausal March

One could argue that the month of March is menopausal.

One day it is t-shirt weather, the next day it is time to pull out your heavy sweater again.

crocuses in the snowOne day the daffodils pop open, the next day we have snow showers.

The fog creeps in at dawn because of temperature fluctuations.

I wonder if spring birds and frogs experience mental confusion. When should the bluebirds start gathering sticks to build their nests? Should the “Spring Peeper Chorus” have their debut in March?

easternbluebirdIt is as if we need a better term, one that encompasses our whole life. The gradual and ongoing change. Not to be pessimistic. Quite the contrary.

Don’t our hormones impact our lives from day one to day__?

By coining this midlife hormonal phase, have we magnified it? While it is always comforting to be affirmed and to acknowledge that we are not alone when experiencing any given symptom, labeling it makes it is larger. Labeling it means we have to contend with it.

It is not merely the cessation of the menses.

My mother, who is now 84, adamantly claims she never went through menopause. Yet, I remember her quickly shedding her jacket when it was chilly out. I recall the sudden, red flush in her face. She often teared up at the mention of anything slightly sweet.

Was my mother better off not having a term for this unpredictable, midlife, hormonal state? It continues to be a quandary in my mind.

Periods, cramps, pimples, labor, hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, dry skin……

But also, youthful energy, falling in love, having babies, new horizons, spurts of joy, intuition, wisdom, cessation of the menses.

menopauselane Hormones dictate and rule!

I wonder if we should show more appreciation, instead of dread and concern. Perhaps by embracing these changes with grace, they will serve us well.

To the end of menopausal March and on with the shedding of sweaters!

How do you feel about menopause in your life? I would love to hear! Leave your comments on my blog. Certainly, a male perspective would be most welcome!


Comments

Menopausal March — 8 Comments

  1. I’m with the naming of “menopause” because in the naming comes part of the understanding of what is a complicated time for many. But I think it’s an interesting thought-wondering if the naming makes it worse/more omnipresent.

    Now about mercurial March! So glad, on this late day, that spring seems to have sprung here in North Carolina.

  2. I think I have always said I never went through menopause because I didn’t have time.I was busy and full of life, energetic and enjoying a challenging life. Having had a total hysterectomy at 47 (or was it 48?), I was told to expect all those things women talk about now. But I am 84 1/2 and in my day, all these signs were not so freely discussed. If I felt warm on a chilly day or blushed, I honestly don’t remember. As a health education teacher and counselor, I listened to women complaining of so many discomforts and I would think to myself, I have to sympathize but I honestly never felt all this. Is it exaggerated? I don’t know. Beautifully written, Judy
    Barb

  3. I have to say that I don’t feel I’ve experienced many down sides to menopause. I don’t have hot flashes, but neither did my mom. I am glad to not have periods anymore. I never really enjoyed that aspect of being a woman, although I’m certainly grateful I was able to have children. My fifties were my best decade so far, and I’m hoping my 60’s will exceed them. So I’m glad to be in menopause, and I continue to look forward to whatever challenges these later years bring my way.

    • Thanks for sharing, Lynne. I am always amazed at how differently we all experience menopause. My mother also says her 50’s were her best decade. Seems that each phase of life presents new and different challenges and opportunities. We need to seize them with gusto! And yes, yay to the end of periods!

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