My Journey From Speaking To Akanni
How Perimenopause Led Me to Creating Natural Products
At 42, I found myself in my doctor's office, convinced that I was pregnant. I was excited and nervous, hoping that my dream of becoming a mother again would come true. Yes, I had taken pregnancy tests, and yes, they were negative, but I was convinced they were contaminated. After all, it had been months since I had seen my monthly cycle. My heart fluttered at the thought of the possibility of pregnancy.
I had been slowing down with speaking and traveling to focus on being a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and had just finished getting certified as a foster parent. Even though I had things going on, a pregnancy would have been challenging but welcomed. However, the doctor did bloodwork and informed me that I was perimenopausal. My pregnancy dreams were crushed, and hormone therapy was offered.
What Is Perimenopause?
Perimenopause is the time when your body starts transitioning into menopause. The average age of menopause is 51, but some women experience it when they get older or due to medical reasons such as hysterectomies. Until you have gone 12 consecutive months without a period (confirmed via bloodwork by your healthcare provider), you are in perimenopause. Your hormones are fluctuating, and your body is reacting.
This blog serves to educate and share my experience so people can understand what may be going on with them or a loved one.
Hindsight is 20/20
Even though the doctor didn't give me much information and said Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) was my saving grace, I knew better. Apparently, for years, I had been experiencing symptoms of perimenopause like dry skin, mood swings, fatigue, sleep issues, and of course, irregular periods. These are symptoms of stress, so that is what I thought it was.
Hot flashes and night sweats weren't initially an issue. However, I live in Louisiana, and I didn't notice because it is hot here 99.9% of the time. The biggest thing for me was when I started to notice my mood was really all over the place. It seemed harder to deal with people at times. In fact, irritability is one of the mood swings that many women experience.
Now what...
Feeling hopeless, I filled the prescription and sat it on my refrigerator. Again, I went to google. It wasn't until then I discovered the side effects of what was so easily prescribed. Risking blood clots for a few hot flashes didn't make sense to me. Let's be honest the medical field and black women have a less than stellar history.
I knew there were options out there to handle this naturally. That started me on my journey of learning about natural ingredients and how they could help me. Figuring, I would start with the symptoms that bothered me and my new found "meno" conversation having friends first. It was the skin. Going from oily and glowing skin that was always complimented to dry dull skin really messed with us. Wondering why all of a sudden you are having random itchiness? That is a symptom.
That is why I started with the face oil GOLD and the dry body oil.
As women, we can feel bad but we don't want to look bad. Think about how a compliment makes your day. Yes, there are other symptoms and I have created other products but skin changes probably effect the emotional side of perimenopause the most.
Share this post with someone who is experiencing perimenopause or menopause. If you are dealing with the skin changes that come with this time in life, check out our bestselling Gold Glow Face Oil. Until then keep being...
-Valencia
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