š My Hormone Rollercoaster: Periods, Patches & ProgesteroneāA Real-Life Midlife Tale
Because if I donāt laugh about it, I might cry (again)
Let me tell you, I used to have my period under control. After nine kids, I thought Iād seen it allāuntil perimenopause showed up like a plot twist nobody warned me about. My cycle? Chaos. My hormones? A full-blown circus.
Hereās what itās really been likeāand Iām sharing it so you know: youāre not the only one going through this wild ride.
šŖ Act 1: My Period, the Shape-Shifter
Some months, Iād go 60 days with nothing, thinking, Maybe this is it⦠maybe menopause is coming! But just when I got hopeful, bamāa period so heavy I needed to cancel everything, wear black, and line my car seat just in case.
Other times it would show up out of nowhere, like:
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Middle of the night: surprise flood
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After sex: the party crasher
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Or worse, just spotting for days and never knowing when it was going to end
Iāve learned to laugh, cry, and always carry a backup outfit.
š Act 2: The Estrogen Patch Diaries
When I started using the estrogen patch, I actually felt like myself again.
āļø My brain fog cleared
āļø I had energy
āļø My libido woke up from the dead
But the rollercoaster didnāt stop there. Some weeks, I was high-functioning and joyful. Other weeks, Iād rip that estrogen patch off and cry over nothing, confused.
Sometimes Iād forget to put it on and feel the shift instantly. Other times, Iād switch the patch and get a random headache or heart flutter.
Is it working? Or is it messing with me? Iāve asked myself this a hundred times.
š¢ Act 3: ProgesteroneāBlessing or Betrayal?
Oh, progesterone. I wanted so badly for it to be my calming best friend. And some nights, it wasāIād drift off peacefully and sleep like I hadn't in years.
But other nights?
Iād feel loopy.
Or dizzy.
Or wide awake at 2 a.m., wondering why I took it at all.
Some days it made me feel relaxed and balanced. Other days, I wondered if I was drugged or just exhausted from motherhood, hormones, and life.
š§ What Iāve Learned Along the Way
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Hormones change fast in perimenopauseāsometimes day to day
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What worked for me last month might not work this month
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Iāve had to listen to my body in a deeper way than ever before
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Most importantly, Iāve had to advocate for myself in every doctorās office and every pharmacy line
This journey has taught me to trust my own instincts and find strength in sharing what Iāve lived through.
š¬ Final Thought
If youāre feeling like a stranger in your own bodyāIāve been there.
If your period is a mystery, your patch is a puzzle, and progesterone has you asking āwhat now?āāIāve asked those same questions.
You're not crazy. You're not broken. Youāre in transition. And that deserves care, support, and real conversation.
Iām walking through it right alongside youāone day, one patch, and one weird period at a time.
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