Apparently there’s a list of 34 recognised ‘symptoms’ of Menopause, ranging from hot flashes & body odor to depression & panic attacks. Whilst I’m encouraged that this list seems to have progressed from ‘A bit Moody, periods have stopped & Hot sweats’, it offends me for two reasons:-
- There are at least 6 things I personally experienced that aren’t on that list & having worked with enough women going through Menopause, I know that I’m not unique in that regard!
- Why must these expressions of what is a natural, transitionary state from one part of our lives to another be referred to as ‘Symptoms’?
There are actually as many Expressions of Menopause as there are Women on the planet because we are all unique & have experienced our Lives differently. Therefore the way we express any changes or processing of internal or external events is individual. To explore this further it may be helpful to remember the following:-
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