Welcome to the Hormone Games: May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favo
A Battle Cry for Women Fighting Both Their Bodies and the Healthcare System
My Personal Journey & Wake-Up Call
For over a decade, I played by the rules. I trusted the system. Hell, I even carefully selected female OB-GYNs my own age, thinking surely they'd understand what was happening to my body. Spoiler alert: That turned out to be as effective as using my own nursing experience to declare myself a doctor because I had medical “knowledge.”
It started in my late 30s with the kind of nausea that would send me home from work, curled up and wondering what the hell was happening to my body. But hey, my doctors – these educated, supposedly experienced women – just kept serving up the same lukewarm leftovers of advice: 'Wait till next year.' 'Maybe it'll subside.' 'It's probably just stress.'
Let that sink in: I had medical professionals, specifically chosen because they were women walking the same hormonal tightrope as me, essentially patting me on the head and telling me to be patient while my body was staging a full-scale rebellion.
But here's where being Gen X comes in handy – we've got zero f*cks left to give and a lifetime of learning when systems are failing us. After years of following their 'wait and see' approach (as you may guess, all I saw was more symptoms), I finally did what we've always had to do: I took matters into my own hands.
Now, a little older and a lot wiser, I've discovered what they never told me in all those dismissive doctor visits. Through books, online communities, and healthcare providers who actually give a damn, I've learned more about perimenopause and menopause than my entire team of OB-GYNs seemed to know combined.
And that's why we need to talk...
If you’re reading this, you may be in that special time when our bodies decide to throw an unauthorized biochemical rave party. You know, the one where estrogen and progesterone are doing the hokey pokey, cortisol is break-dancing at 3 AM, and your internal thermostat thinks it's auditioning for a role in Dante's Inferno.
Welcome to perimenopause and menopause – where your body's going through the most dramatic transformation since puberty, but this time with the added bonus of being told to 'just lose some weight' by healthcare providers who seemingly got their medical degree from a cereal box.
Let's be crystal clear here: We're not just fighting our bodies – we're fighting a healthcare system that expects us to power through like nothing's happening. Like we're not experiencing a fundamental biological revolution that affects every single cell in our bodies. Like we should just slap on a smile and push harder while our hormones are staging a coup d'état.
The mental toll? Oh, honey. Try advocating for yourself when your brain fog is so thick you could spread it on toast. Try explaining to a dismissive doctor that no, this isn't 'just aging' while your cortisol is doing the macarena, making everything ten times worse. Try maintaining your professional powerhouse status when your body's decided to turn your conference room into a personal sauna.
The dirty little secret of women's healthcare isn't really a secret at all – it's a full-blown systemic dumpster fire hiding in plain sight. While we're riding the hormone hurricane of our lives, the medical establishment is still operating from a playbook that belongs in a museum.
Let's break down this circus act we're expected to perform:
Your body is literally rewriting its hormone handbook. Estrogen's playing jump rope, progesterone's gone AWOL, and your adrenals are working overtime trying to keep this biochemical party from turning into a total riot. The result? Your metabolism moves slower than a snail in molasses, you're storing fat like you're preparing for nuclear winter, and your body's got more inflammation than a political X/Twitter thread.
But wait! According to Dr. Dismissive, the solution is simple: 'Just eat less and move more!'
Right. Because that's exactly what we need when our bodies are already under siege – another helping of shame with a side order of impossible expectations. Never mind that these hormonal changes are literally fighting against every attempt to maintain our weight. Never mind that our bodies are doing exactly what they're biologically programmed to do during this transition.
And the real kicker? We're expected to maintain our usual superhero status through all of this. Run that meeting! Handle that crisis! Be there for everyone! Meanwhile, your body's sending you more mixed signals than a commitment-phobic ex:
3 AM? Perfect time for a personal summer!
Important presentation? Here's some brain fog to spice things up!
Big deadline? Let's throw in some mood swings just for fun!
The mental load of navigating this maze would be enough on its own. But no – we also have to become our own medical advocates, researchers, and diagnosticians. We have to fight to be heard while fighting our own bodies. We have to educate the very professionals who should be educating us.
The truth is: Your body isn't broken. The system is.
While we're over here playing hormonal Jenga with our lives, here's what SHOULD be happening:
Comprehensive hormone testing (not just being told 'you're too young for menopause')
Recognition that our metabolism isn't just being 'lazy' – it's responding to a complex cascade of hormonal changes
Understanding that no, we can't just 'power through' when our cortisol is doing the cha-cha with our already-wonky hormones
Actual solutions beyond 'have you tried yoga?' (Though yoga's great, Karen, it's not going to fix my endocrine system)
Instead, we're left piecing together our own solutions like some kind of medical MacGyver. Trading tips in Facebook groups. Whispering recommendations for doctors who actually listen. Building our own underground railroad of menopause support because the mainstream medical system is still stuck in 1952.
And here's the part that really sets my hair on fire (and no, it's not another hot flash): The mental toll of not being heard, of being dismissed, of being told it's all in our heads? That stress creates a feedback loop that makes everything worse. When your doctor rolls their eyes at your symptoms, your cortisol spikes. When you're told to just lose weight while your body's holding onto every ounce like it's golden, your stress levels skyrocket. When you're fighting to be taken seriously while juggling work, family, and a body that's turned into a biological revolution, your entire system goes into overdrive.
Here's the revolutionary act we need to embrace: Standing in our power even when our bodies feel like they're staging a coup.
Listen up, warriors of the hormone revolution: You are not losing your mind. You are not alone. And you absolutely do not have to accept the medical equivalent of 'thoughts and prayers' as treatment for what you're experiencing.
Your body isn't betraying you – it's going through a transformation as significant as puberty, only this time you have the wisdom and power to advocate for yourself. Yes, even through the brain fog. Yes, even when you're exhausted. Yes, even when the medical establishment treats you like you're auditioning for a role in 'Hysterical Women: The Musical.'
Here's your permission slip to:
Fire any doctor who dismisses your symptoms or makes you feel crazy
Trust your instincts when something feels off (spoiler alert: your body's been keeping you alive this long, it knows a thing or two)
Demand proper hormone testing and actual solutions, not just band-aid fixes
Connect with other women going through this journey (because collective wisdom is real magic)
Need resources? Start here:
The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) can help you find certified menopause practitioners who won't tell you to just drink more water
Check out books by Dr. Mary Claire Haver (The New Menopause), Dr. Jen Gunter (The Menopause Manifesto), or Dr. Mindy Pelz (The Menopause Reset). These ladies are fighting the good fight and providing evidence-based information
Remember this: We're not broken. We're not crazy. We're not overreacting. We're experiencing a major biological transition in a healthcare system that's still treating women's bodies like mysterious black boxes that run on hysteria and unicorn tears.
But here's the beautiful truth: When we speak up, share our stories, and demand better care, we're not just helping ourselves – we're clearing the path for every woman coming behind us. We're part of a growing revolution of women who are done being dismissed, done being ignored, and done accepting anything less than the comprehensive care we deserve.
You've got this, warrior.