An inspiring perimenopause story about a woman who took her experience and used it to benefit others.
Meet Emily Barclay, a triathlete, who was caught by surprise — and stopped in her tracks — by the changing hormonal patterns of the menopause transition. Once she figured out what was going on and how to manage these changes, she set out to help others.
Here are 7 aspects of her perimenopause story that we want to highlight;
First, the menopause transition can start early, she was 39.
Second, it is often surprising to women and healthcare providers because we (and they) aren’t taught that changes can begin in our mid to late 30s. Even testing hormone levels doesn’t help since hormonal levels fluctuate within a woman hourly, let alone daily. This lack of knowledge — and method for diagnosis —makes it hard to know you’re entering a new reproductive phase.
Third, Emily describes an “out of control” feeling as her body is behaving in new, unfamiliar ways. She also mentions feeling “not like herself”. These are both very common (and concerning) feelings.
Fourth, the article doesn’t explicitly say this, but it could be that her intense training actually made it harder for her body to adapt to the hormonal fluctuations that accompany this transition. In our post about self-care, we touch on the concept of homeostasis and why giving our body what it needs (more sleep, better nutrition, some downtime) is important starting around 40.
Fifth, the article highlights options for remedies and states that hormone therapy is the most effective. We think it’s important to point out that this is true only for some women, for some symptoms. Many women, like Emily, choose to manage with lifestyle changes.
Sixth, while it’s only in the caption of an image, Emily says her partner “deserves sainthood”. While most efforts (including ours) are focused on getting accurate information to women, their partners need to know too. This transition can really change things for some of us, for a while, and educating partners so they can be supportive is really important.
Lastly, Emily used her experience to create a community, The Perimenopause Hub. As she says, “People have been in contact and said they feel they are ‘no longer alone’, ‘I’m not different’, ‘I’m not the only one going through this’. Knowing you aren’t alone and that what you are experiencing is normal, if disruptive, goes a long, long way to being able to manage. This community aspect is so important. Thank you, Emily, for turning your perimenopause story into something so positive!
