Peri What?

In this episode of Hot Flash & Sassy, we break down what perimenopause and menopause really mean, no fluff, no confusion, just straight talk. Whether you’re in it, approaching it, or just curious, this is your crash course in understanding the transition every woman faces.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hot Flash and Sassy, a podcast with hot takes, hotter flashes, and a whole lot of sass. Alright, welcome back to Hot Flash and Sassy, the show where we embrace the heat, spill the truth, and laugh through the flames of midlife. I'm your host, Holly, and I'm Renee. And today we're comparing perimenopause to menopause.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Alright, Holly, picture this. You're in your 40s, you've had a hysterectomy, but you kept your ovaries. You're experiencing hot flashes all the time, night sweats at night, okay. Your emotions are all over the place. Just ask my significant other. Is this perimenopause or is menopause already here? Help us decide.

unknown 0:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

They're both very fun. Um, okay. Fun times. All right, so to define the two, because I think uh people don't necessarily know what the difference is, and a lot of people don't even know what perimenopause is, especially. Um, perimenopause is the transitional phase often that begins in your 40s, marked by fluctuating hormones and irregular periods. While menopause is defined as 12 consecutive months without administration. Typically, that happens around the age of 51. Signaling a new hormonal baseline, symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, and vaginal dryness may start during perimenopause and continue after menopause, with wide variation in individual experiences and increasing long-term health considerations like bone and heart health. Management focuses on lifestyle strategies, symptom tracking, and medical options, including hormone therapies guided by consultation with a health care provider. Whew.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

That was a lot.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

Sounds fun.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

It sounds horrible. It's our life. But also, I felt like I should have gonged 13 of the different things that you said. Because what'd you say? Beginning in the 40s, lie.

SPEAKER_00 2:13

Yeah, well, yeah, that's also typically around 51. Lie. 100% lies. And also a million symptoms. Yeah. How many of these things have you had? Hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, my favorite vaginal dryness. Um yeah, and of course, yeah, just like the long-term effects that I guess we don't know about yet, but we're getting ahead of. Right.

SPEAKER_01 2:37

Right. So it's kind of unbelievable how I don't know, this Webster's dictionary version of things actually perceives it. And then us real lifers, our audience, like they would all say, What are what are they reading from? Well, true. What is this?

SPEAKER_00 2:56

Yeah, well, it is a scrap because we're not medical doctors, so we have to like have definitions. But what we don't have to read from is our experiences and what matches with some of these things and our symptoms we've gone through.

SPEAKER_01 3:09

Definitely. Like you and I, we've both had drastically different scenarios, and we are of different ages. I am very slightly older than Holly. Um, although, if you ask anybody, I'm 29 forever. My son has been bribed into knowing it for his 22 years, and my five-year-old is in training. There you go. See, I'm 28, which is why you're older than me. These are fabulous ages. See, we just blow perimenopause ages out. Yeah. So, but technically, if we think of the standards, I am still in perimenopause because I had a hysterectomy. I kept my ovaries, I every once in a while still ovulate. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:57

And you, I'm in full-blown menopause because I had a full hysterectomy. So I before the hysterectomy, I was not. I do believe I was in perimenopause then, which was in my 30s, my upper 30s, but still. Um, but yeah, so at 38, I went into full menopause state, um, really medically induced though. So, but I've experienced some of the fun menopause symptoms. It's been fun.

SPEAKER_01 4:24

That's the worst part about it, because it doesn't matter if you're in perimenopause or menopause. The symptoms suck.

SPEAKER_00 4:32

They all suck. Yes. It's awful. What we have to go through. It's awful. So yeah, I think that we have very different experiences, and it is interesting given like our ages and where we are being in perimenopause versus menopause. I don't I don't deal too much with my menopause because I get hormone replacement therapy, but I mean, I've had plenty of incidents with it. Um, so I can speak till still to several of these. I mean, I went immediately into menopause right after my hysterectomy. So that night I was having the hot flashes. It was awful.

SPEAKER_01 5:12

And you also feel some of the symptoms when you are weaning when your pellets are kind of at the end of the cycle. Yes. Yeah. So you still get a little glimpse of on a regular basis.

SPEAKER_00 5:24

I do, especially those mood changes, man. Watching out.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

So but yeah, so I have to tell you, Jay asked if I was giving him a fake name for the podcast. I said, no, you're just Jay. You're just Jay. Fun name is Rex. So when like we go out kidless, Rex gets to come out. Okay. So Rex is around when Renee has hormone rumilies. Jay is around when Renee does not.

SPEAKER_00 5:54

Okay, well, there you go. That's great. So he could come on here and he could talk about his experience as Jay, and his experience is Rex.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

I totally thought that he'd be so open to coming on. And he's like, no, why would I want to do that? And I'm like, why wouldn't you? There's guys out there that can learn from you. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So we're gonna have to give them Rex will come out.

SPEAKER_00 6:14

Give them time. I I have not let Jake listen to our first podcast yet. And I was like, I should have view that before we air it. Like, I mean, I think we mentioned that. Surprise, honey. You're a star, Jake. You're a star. You're welcome. Does Jake have an alter ego? No. No, we should probably give him one. He's Jake all the time. Just Jake and just Jay.

SPEAKER_01 6:40

Just Jake and just Jay.

SPEAKER_00 6:42

They could start their own podcast. It's like um against ours, like a rebuttal to ours.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

They would be famous just for a real job. Do you know how many guys out there are? Yeah, they probably we'll get nothing.

SPEAKER_00 6:54

We'll probably get all the viewers.

SPEAKER_01 6:56

Jason sees like these TikToks and Instagram videos all the time of how men deal with their significant others in menopause. I'm like, stay away. Yeah, probably. This is so true. I'm like, maybe we should make your own. We can make his.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

They could, they give the like the guy version. Yeah, exactly. Maybe we're gonna try to speak for the guys as much as we can, but like our experiences as women, so their opinions count for something for a small percentage. I will tell you, this is a whole other story, but it's it kind of still has to do with it. But like my daughter the other day was like said something about um, Jake said something like you're only here, like I was you're here because of me, like I brought you in, or something. And she was like, or I did the work to get you here. And she's like, or so I can't remember. He did it, he was trying to imagine. It was a thing with her, I can't remember the exact wording. And she goes, What? And she's like, You didn't do it, mom did. And he goes, I did like five percent. And she's like, No, she did a hundred percent. And he goes, God lover. I know, look at her. And he goes, Um, okay, I at least did like two percent because like she seriously could not have had you.

SPEAKER_01 8:08

Did he go into explaining those?

SPEAKER_00 8:10

No, I got really worried about that. I was like, and let's move, change the subject.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

And you know how inquisitive she can be. I don't want to go there. She probably drilled them until he got gave up the answer.

SPEAKER_00 8:19

She knows that I did most of the work there.

SPEAKER_01 8:22

So proud of her. She's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 8:24

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 8:26

All right, so let's talk symptoms. Yes, let's do it. Let's do it. Um hot flashes, night sweats, sleep problems, mood changes, brain fog. We all know that one. Vaginal dryness, and I don't even know how to say this word. Do you want to try it?

SPEAKER_00 8:40

Gin and ginitory or change. I don't have any idea. Wait, what is that?

SPEAKER_01 8:45

I just think that this is like the tip of the iceberg on symptoms. Yeah. Again, research shows that these are the key symptoms. I'd say that there's probably a hundred additional ones. Yeah. And everybody has a different set of symptoms, which is crazy to think about. Like how hormones can affect everybody differently.

SPEAKER_00 9:06

Yeah. It's insane for me. The severity of them, you know, it all changes person to person for sure.

SPEAKER_01 9:11

Um, so did you see the TikTok? I'm getting my information from TikTok. Okay, I'm not on TikTok. I'm not, I'm not on TikTok, so you're not filming. Well, but anyway, it's all over the news, obviously, about the health claims being lifted from hormone replacement therapy. Oh. Yeah, the FDA has lifted um on a basis that the past research was misinterpreted. No. So there's all these um uh doctors um and medical professionals coming out and saying how invaluable this FDA lifting this um caution has been because this opens the door for so many people. Okay, and the value of estrogen. Oh my gosh. Right? Yeah, there were so many things that came to life about just how it helps with the brain function, yeah, cardiovascular disease, cancers, even. Just having the proper amount of estrogen in your body helps that. And now the FDA is supporting that.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Yeah. Isn't that cool? That is cool because I think it's about time because I a drop in estrogen impacts you and all those things long-term you talk about, like the long-term effects that your hormone imbalance can have on you. It people don't realize that. So I hear all the time people are like, Oh, I'm just gonna go through menopause, which is fine. I mean, that's your choice. But I think people were going through menopause and then dying pretty closely to it, right? Not that long. I mean, a while ago. But nowadays, people are living to how old and you've gone through menopause, you're spending half your damn life in menopause. Right. And they don't realize what that can do to your body. It's like that drop in estrogen, like bone health. So you especially for women, we talk about how osteosporosis and how weak our bones get, and a lot of that has to do with your hormones. So making sure that you don't have that drop in estrogen can make it so you have those healthy bones and that you don't have to be on all these stupid prescriptions, you know, when you're 60 and 70 because you have weak bones. Um, your cholesterol changes, um, you know, you have more heart risk, um, issues possibly with your heart due to your hormone imbalances, and typically it's long-term. So I'm not talking about inperimenopause when you're experiencing right then. I mean your long-term effects. So you go through menopause and you decided just to deal with it, and what you're looking, what your life is looking like when you're a bit older, or you've gone through a whole hysterectomy. Like these are all things that can happen. Um, your bladder and pelvic health, uh, joint and muscle health, kind of talked about that, all things that can be affected long term from your drop in estrogen, essentially.

SPEAKER_01 11:52

Isn't it kind of interesting though that those uh relate back to the key symptoms that you have? Yeah, you know, like your weakness, your muscle strength, yeah, that affects long term. Like that's just like a peek behind the curtains if you don't do something to help your body through that.

SPEAKER_00 12:12

Right. And again, I I think it's people's choice, and maybe it's easier and you don't have as many symptoms and it's not that bad for you. But I just think for me, I was like, I don't want to live a life like that. Like I just want to be able to move, I want to be able to function, and I don't want to have to be on all these medicines when I'm older.

SPEAKER_01 12:30

But also at the young age of 29 and 28. Correct.

SPEAKER_00 12:34

And honestly, we don't want to be taking prescription pills with side effects. Correct. They have way more side effects, in my opinion. I but again, I get it. Some people don't want to put even the hormones in their body when they're not naturally produced by them. And I I get that. I just I think that eventually you end up on medicines because you have other issues that you have to address that end up being long-term issues, correct. Potentially can take your life. And I don't know that you can always backtrack those, right? Like once the damage is done. Yeah. I guess I don't know all that. It'll be interesting when we get um Judy on here to talk about some of that. Like to me, the long-term impacts is the big thing. I mean, the now is nice, right? I want to have the energy. We're working moms, we want to be able to get through the day. Yes. But like to me, the bigger importance is my long-term health and how I it's not just that I want to feel this way now and be okay. I I want to be preventative and healthy for my future self. So I think kids, yes, their husband, everybody, yes.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

And for them to be comfortable around you, not scared for their life. Well, and that's I think the greatest part about our podcast is we're just trying to bring information to light. Yeah, it's not about what we think is right or wrong, it's that there are so many different ways to look at all of this information and just knowledge is power. Knowledge is power.

SPEAKER_00 14:01

And I I it's not talked about it that much. I think it's getting more talked about now. Um, you know, we we see there are TikToks, there are people, there are what is that lady? What is that lady's video that I like? Um the I don't care club. Love her, and it is so funny and it's so spot on. But like the fact that she has so much content to make these things, which is all off of like symptoms of perimetopause and menopause, is kind of crazy. They're all true. Like it's and I'm like, it's so spot on. And I'm like, but again, those are the symptoms, but you don't have to live that way all the time.

SPEAKER_01 14:33

Yep. And humor helps everybody get through really difficult situations. So the fact that we can laugh at our symptoms is also beneficial.

SPEAKER_00 14:43

So I think we do now because we know what it is, right? I don't think we laughed about it before.

SPEAKER_01 14:47

No, I don't think anybody was laughing before until we had our hormone replacement. Most people ran for their lives to cover. Watch out.

SPEAKER_00 15:02

Oh no.

SPEAKER_01 15:03

Um, but anyway, so we talked a little bit about how we take a lot of supplements. Yep. Um, each of us. Yep. And Holly does this amazing morning workout routine, which I applaud her, but I'm not quite there yet. Um, but I think that supplements are something that I would recommend people explore. I would never say that somebody has to take the supplements that I take because that's what works for me, but also I've gone through a year of trial and error with supplements to get to a point where I found, you know, my magic cocktail. Yep. Yeah. Same for you, right? Yeah. Didn't you try a bunch of different ones?

SPEAKER_00 15:41

Yes. I've tried a bunch of different stuff. Certain things that work, some stuff doesn't. Um, and I feel like I'm in my happy place now where I don't really feel like messing with them anymore. And I feel like I have like the right grouping of supplements, if you will.

SPEAKER_01 15:53

So that's exactly what it is. Because it's not like I take one magic pill. No, no, it's definitely a grouping of a few things.

SPEAKER_00 16:02

There's still other care that needs to be done, you know. So definitely. Yeah. Definitely. I think that um those lifestyle changes, and again, they can be impactful and help you through perimenopause and menopause. Um, but I mean, sometimes those symptoms are there whether you're exercising or dieting appropriately. And sometimes it makes it hard to diet because of your symptoms, it makes it hard to exercise because of your symptoms. So 100%.

SPEAKER_01 16:25

You know, if your body is weak and you have no muscle strength because it's one of your symptoms of perimenopause, what's the likelihood that you're gonna go hit a gym? Correct. You're missing one. Yeah, you feel like shit. You can't even pick up one weight. You want to embarrass yourself in the middle of a gym where people are throwing around 50-pound weights? Yeah, no way.

SPEAKER_00 16:43

Yeah, yeah, it's not fun at all.

SPEAKER_01 16:45

Definitely not.

SPEAKER_00 16:46

Yeah. So um, I don't know, is there any particular supplement that you would like to call out that you think has been like the best for you?

SPEAKER_01 16:55

Um, well, I go to a place called Jacob's Herb Shop in Fairy Heights, Illinois. Shout out to Dr. Andrea. Um, but she really helps me find helped me find what my body was missing. So I um I needed some help with my red blood cells, according to Dr. Andrea. So I take a hemoglobin supplement, and boy, can I tell a difference in my energy if I don't take that. Interesting. Yeah, so I think that's where you have to get to the point where it's like, what is your body gonna benefit the most from?

SPEAKER_00 17:33

Yeah, yeah, I agree. And you do have to try something, it usually takes a while to build something up, but I think it's important to try to, as long as you're not having bad side effects from it, to give it a fair go. And then if it's not working, it's not working, right?

SPEAKER_01 17:45

Like everybody's different, so well, and then the other thing, um, Judy uh gave us as part of our hormone replacement therapy is the is it extra dim? Yeah, dem. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, dry some dim if you haven't tried it, it's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 18:01

And that's a good thing, I think, to talk to Judy about too when we get her on is like the importance of Dem and like what that can do.

SPEAKER_01 18:06

But um also I wondered too, is do you have to have the pellets to take dim? I don't take them as a supplement.

SPEAKER_00 18:13

I think you really can. I think that you can. Um, again, I'm not the expert, so we'll have to ask Judy, but I think the questions are mounting. Yeah, I don't think that's necessarily like a hormone replacement thing. So I think that maybe that's a solution for people that that need something. So something to start.

SPEAKER_01 18:29

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:30

I hear you.

SPEAKER_01 18:30

Yeah. Well, we kind of have to wrap up. Yeah, we do. Um, but back to work we go, you know, we've got a full-time job. But um, our next episode, we're gonna dive into perimenopause and menopause hot flashes in particular, because let's face it, we all experience them differently. I could probably talk to my girlfriend group and get 10 different answers about when hot flashes happen for them and why they occur. For me, if I get stressed or get really nervous, boy, do the hot flashes go off the chart. And I have hormone replacement therapy, you know? Right. So I still get them under certain circumstances. So I think that'll be interesting to get some um professional advice, but then we'll loosely interpret it based on our experiences. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 19:23

Yeah, and it's in our name, Hot Flash and Sassy.

SPEAKER_01 19:25

Hot flash and sassy.

SPEAKER_00 19:27

We really pull off the sass.

SPEAKER_01 19:29

We do.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

Sorry, sorry, that's our main point, the skill set. All right, so we want me to do the last line here. Yeah, dude. All right, take it home. Big thing is we need you to subscribe, leave review, share our episode, follow on our socials, and send in questions if you have them. We'll try to get them answered or answer them based on our experience. So see you next time. See you next time.

SPEAKER_01 19:51

Or listen to you next time, or hear you next time. Exactly.