PeriMenopause and Me!!
Sorry….
Yesterday I accidentally blew up my emails and DMs (which, I am always crap at replying to anyway!!).
I posted about my recent Womb Surgery and, while most of my friends, family and current students knew exactly what was going on, those of you I haven’t been in touch with for a while were all like WTF???!!!! I am popping all the info below and in a blogpost in case it helps anyone else reading.
I am feeling good, recovering in my favourite spot at the beach. The procedures were small…more info below…if this is not your bag….skip on now…you have been warned!!! Xxx
I genuinely didn’t mean to be a drama queen – I blame the anesthesia! Most of you have been on a journey with me from yoga for agility, sports and fitness through the noughties, followed by the last 12 years of my obsession with Wombs… fertility, bumps, boobs and babies!
I have moved from striving to do arm balances and back bends and sweaty sessions…to being delighted with stretching, breathing, meditation, rest & mindfulness. I’ve just started a 2 year Masters in Mindfulness in UCC….more info on that separately – watch this space
Now, like my own personal journey, I am obsessed with the next stage of the Womb Journey and the wisdom that unfolds with Perimenopause, Menopause and beyond!!!
I turn 43 in 2 weeks time – and here I am unexpectedly in PERIMENOPAUSE!!! As someone who has made a career out of Womb Wellbeing this was still a SHOCKER!!! I really just became aware of and accepted this over the last 6 months!!!!!
My perimenopause journey so far in a nutshell….
- Up until about 2/3 years ago I always had completely pain free 28-30 day cycles.
- Easy conceptions
- Simple straight forward pregnancies
- Drug free natural births
- Super quick recoveries…(post-natal piles being my biggest complaint!!!)
This changed to fast and short cycles 19-21 days lasting 2 days!
- Snappy, short-tempered rage with PMS in cycles every 2 to 2.5 weeks!!
- Pelvic pain (front, sides and back) around my bleed
- Stabbing lightening bum! (IYKYK)
- Random join pain! (not good and very obvious as a yoga teacher who stretches every day!)
- Feeling like I was going slightly mad!!!
Between bleeds I was perfectly normal for 2 weeks…..then it all started again!! I literally have 2 or 3 cycle tracker apps on the go! I would send Eugene WARNINGS the bleed was coming…batten down the hatches!!!
So I started health investigations around 2 years ago…mostly because of the stabbing pains in my bum!!! The process takes AGES and for me included a colonoscopy, MRIs, bloods, pelvis physios and several GP appointments resulting in further referrals and very long waiting lists (even with the luxury of private medical insurance!!!!)
If you’re still with me…..the conclusion was uterine polyps with signs of early endometriosis brought on by hormone shifts and PERIMENOPAUSE…..WTF!!!!!
So on Monday I had a day surgery for:
- Hysteroscopy
- Removal of Polyps
- D&C (spring clean)
- Insertion of Mirena Coil (to get progesterone straight into the womb to stop regrowth of polyps or endometriosis + contraception).
I am very grateful to have conceived my babies naturally and had drug free births and expected that I would go through menopause (in 10 years time) chemical free using alternative therapies…where as now…I have an IUD with progesterone in place and I am examining all other options too!
Soooo..
I am obsessively upskilling, learning, reading and listening to everything about Perimenopause and Menopause, from all angles. The bottom line so far is it all starts with prioritising a healthy lifestyle, stress management keeping cortisol at bay along side HRT if required, basically looking after our general and Womb Wellbeing.
There is so much FABULOUS work going on in this area at the moment, it is actually an exciting time to get on board with all the learnings and information coming through.
Watch this space!!!
Top picks that I h
ave devoured this week, available to read or listen to are:
For practical and positive and information, Menopausing by
https://www.instagram.com/davinamccall/
For inspiration, power and excitement around our changing Wombs, Wise Power by https://www.instagram.com/red.school/
(Wild Power is ESSENTIAL too, especially if you are not quite there yet with Perimenopause along with mothers to daughters!!)
My goal is to continue to support ALL aspects of Womb Wellbeing, from our daughter’s Menarche, Menstrual Cycle Awareness, Fertility, Pregnancy, Post Natal, Perimenopause, Menopause and beyond to the wisdom years. My goal is to have MyWellbeing help make these transitions as positive as possible through Movement, Mindfulness and Magic!!
Thanks for all the love,
Rachel xxxxx