At the end of 2019 my relationship of 12 years was about to end. I did not know why. I had changed, I knew that, I had grown more and more unhappy and had stopped communicating with my partner. I was experiencing awful flooding every month and had approached my GP on number of occasions about this and also told them that I was struggling with my mood. I was offered different types of contraception, which I tried but did not need, with no positive outcome.
In 2020 after finally talking to my partner and family about how, I felt I decided to ditch the contraception and let my body do what it was going to do. The year that followed was full of ups and downs but fundamentally I just did not feel like myself. I was highly irritable and anxious and felt detached from my life. I could not take a joke and felt like I was being belittled by others. I could not settle to sleep in the same bed as my partner and we ended up in separate beds which did not help to us to feel connected.
The final straw for me came this year when I was diagnosed with Globus sensation in my throat. This is an anxiety related condition where you feel a lump or tightening in your throat. Following diagnosis, the condition immediately improved and I sought help. I found Megs Book, The New Hot and tore through the pages finally finding something that I could relate to! Seeing my feelings in black and white was an emotional experience and it gave me hope that there could be a way forward.
Using the book, I prepared for my contact with the GP who refused to give me a blood test but did agree that I was experiencing peri-menopausal symptoms and offered 3 options; talking therapy, anti-depressants and HRT. Without hesitation I requested HRT and I have not looked back. This was 4 months ago, 4 of the most consistently happy months I have had in a long time. I can sleep, I am relaxed and I can laugh at myself who I have finally found again.
