If someone were to tell you at 35 that you were about to start the journey to menopause, what would you say? How does that make you feel? What does that even mean? Why hasn't your doctor mentioned this? So many questions... and wait, WHAT??

Every woman is different. At 35, I was actively trying to have a child (and didn't have my daughter until I was 40) so I fought HARD against the idea of my waning fertility and at 43 was still blaming any health concerns on postpartum or motherhood when in actuality, like many women having children later, I was (am) at the convergence of it all- fertility, postpartum, motherhood exhaustion, AND PERIMENOPAUSE. My cycles are getting shorter and lighter, my breasts are fuller and tender longer during the month, my sleep is not as restful as it used to be, brain fog is up and vaginal lubrication is down (yep, I said it:) and I have this deep sense and desire (in addition to be the mother and partner I want to be) to figure out how to be the woman I want to be.

But we don't talk about this... any of it! This was not my mother's experience (and for many of us, that is all we have to go off off- if she even talks about it). Whether a woman has children or not, menopause is often thought of as this distant, solitary event - that one day (in our 50's) we just wake up with hot flashes and the other symptoms associated with the transition and our period stops. While this is the case for women who have a medically or surgically-induced menopause, the reality, for the rest of us, is that it is a much longer progression of hormonal changes.

As a women's health acupuncturist, I see how many women feel unsupported in this phase of life. As a friend, I see it. Instead of navigating these years with confidence and knowledge, woman are left feeling confused and alone. BUT... what if, armed with information and community, we can re-write the narrative of middle life, take control of the journey, and start an exciting new chapter?

We are honored to have Dr Arianna Sholes-Douglas with us to start the conversation! A visionary in the field of women’s healthcare, Dr. Arianna Sholes-Douglas has dedicated her career to treating women who are approaching or are already in the menopausal phase of their lives. Her book, The Menopause Myth: What Your Mother, Doctor, and Friends Haven’t Told You about Life after 35, is a collection of everything women over 35 should know about their health and one of our favorite recommendations to dig deeper! You are worth it!!