I love patterns. I especially love to analyze, chart and graph anything that pertains to bodily functions. When my son was born, I had difficulty getting into a routine with breast-feeding, so I composed a table to record my son’s bodily functions regarding his feeding frequency and duration. In a way, charting relaxes and comforts me. It enables me to let go of things a little.

So naturally I tried to find a pattern to my menstrual cycles ... impossible. I would have 40-day cycles followed by 20-day cycles. I would have PMS symptoms for three weeks prior to my period, followed by a period that lasted only two days. Then it would stop for two days, then resume for two weeks. I had cramps and sore boobs before, during and after my period. I experienced anything and everything relative to my menstrual cycle except what I had experienced for the preceding adult years of my life.

Meditation/Prayer for the day: 

Dear God, Give me the courage to embrace change. I feel scared...

Another early perimenopausal (PM) awareness was that my state of PMS-ness seemed endless. We are talking sore boobs, acne and cramps, to name a few. I even entertained crazy fantasies. Any PMS woman knows what I’m talking about. Whereas I used to be a little cranky for the 3–7 days prior to my period, now I had a full-blown Murder-Death-Kill—aka MDK from Demolition Man, 1993 sci-fi action film—attitude for at least three weeks prior to the big day.

Meditation/Prayer for the day: 

Dear God, What is going on? I don’t like it. Help me trust You to get me through this uncertain time.

You can find more excerpts from “Dammit … It IS Menopause!” by clicking here.

Sally Bartlett, ©2021