The Pre-Party Nobody Warned Me About: Perimenopause

So here’s the thing: growing up, nobody told me perimenopause was a thing. (Honestly, I don’t think they knew either.) I thought you either had a period, or you didn’t. One day you’re in the cycle club, and the next day you’re free. Simple, right? Wrong.

I still remember sitting in my doctor’s office for what I thought was a routine physical. She glanced at my chart, smiled casually, and said, “Well, you’ve entered perimenopause.”

Excuse me, what? Peri-who? She said it so lightly, like she was announcing a weather update. Meanwhile, I was stuck on that one unfamiliar word, trying to figure out what it meant for me. All I heard was menopause, and my brain immediately screamed: “Nope. Not me. I’m too young. My cycle is still showing up like clockwork.”

But here’s the kicker: perimenopause is basically menopause’s sneaky little sister—the pre-party nobody warns you about. And trust me, it’s not the kind of party you want an invite to.

Your ovaries start whispering, “We’re almost outta here,” and your hormones join the rebellion. Periods show up late, early, or not at all. Mood swings? Imagine a rollercoaster, but the seatbelt is broken and you never asked to ride in the first place. One minute you’re crying at a dog food commercial, the next you’re reorganizing your entire bedroom closet at 2 AM.

And just when I thought I was losing it, I remembered this promise:

✨ Isaiah 46:4 (NIV)
"Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you."

That verse stopped me in my tracks. God is saying, I’ve got you. I’ll sustain you through every season—even the ones that feel like chaos. And suddenly, the rollercoaster didn’t feel quite as terrifying, because I wasn’t riding it alone.

The thing that frustrated me most wasn’t just the symptoms—it was the silence. Why don’t we talk about this? Why is it treated like some secret rite of passage we all have to figure out on our own? We prepare girls for their first period, we throw showers for weddings and babies… but perimenopause? Crickets.

Here’s what I’ve learned: we don’t have to do this silently. Sharing our stories—yes, even the messy, TMI ones—reminds us that we’re not alone. God didn’t design our bodies to go through these changes in shame. If anything, He invites us to bring even this season before Him, to laugh, cry, and find hope in the middle of hormonal chaos.

So if you’re in this pre-party too, pull up a chair. Let’s swap stories, compare survival kits, and admit that sometimes we’re just trying to make it through the day with our sanity intact.

Here’s a blog post that might interest you…

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P.S. If this post resonated with you, feel free to share this post with your sisters, friends, wife or daughters. Let’s spread the word—we’re not alone in this.