Perimenopause is a natural phase of a woman’s life that usually begins in your 40s or 50s, marking the transition to menopause. Unfortunately, this phase of life is often stigmatized in our culture, and women can feel devalued and marginalized as they experience hormonal changes.

I wanted to write about this topic because many of you expressed this as a top health concern when I sent you a survey a few months ago. It’s also a topic that’s not often talked about openly and many women can suffer silently with symptoms during this phase of their life.

I heard from many of you and many women in my clinic that you often feel invisible. As one of my patients bluntly put it, “they throw you away and don’t want you to be visible once you’re old.”

Invisible = unable to be seen

One way that women are devalued during perimenopause is through societal pressure to look and feel youthful.

Aging is often associated with negative connotations such as being less attractive, less productive, or less valuable. Women are subjected to unrealistic beauty standards and pressured to maintain a youthful appearance. This pressure is amplified during perimenopause as women may experience changes such as weight gain, wrinkles, and thinning hair, which can negatively impact their self-esteem and sense of worth.

Perimenopause can also affect women’s mental health, leading to mood swings, irritability, and anxiety. Unfortunately, these symptoms are often dismissed as women being “hormonal” or “emotional,” further stigmatizing and devaluing our experiences as women.

Instead of offering answers or support for what we are going through, we are often dismissed by society and even by doctors and told our symptoms are just simply something we have to suffer through.

But it doesn’t have to be that way!

Menopause is a natural and inevitable part of a woman’s life cycle. While it is a normal part of aging, menopause can bring significant changes to a woman’s body, mind, and emotions.

With the right tools and support, women can successfully navigate this transition and maintain their health and well-being.

Instead of being invisible, you can be invincible.

Invincible = unstoppable or unconquerable

The time of perimenopause and menopause in East Asian Medicine is referred to as your second spring.

A woman’s midlife is a time of strengthening your feminine power.

Aging is a time to come into your wise woman years. You have earned the right through your experience of living to be just who you are.

You have earned the right to feel good in your body.

If you want to get started and learn a simple method to support your hormones and alleviate your symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, download the Hormone Balance Guide.