Not everyone knows what signs to look out for when perimenopause rocks up and smashes you in the face (with a sledgehammer). 

I certainly didn’t. 

Cue sleep deprivation, crazy-level over-thinking, irrational thoughts and a constant rattle of anxiety that banged her cymbal from dawn till dusk and from dusk till dawn. Now, many folk might experience hot flashes, sleep issues, heavy bleeding, vaginal dryness and more (I know… aren’t we lucky) and probably have an inkling these symptoms point to menopause; a sometimes wonderous period (more like lack of) in life where after 12 bleed-free months we can celebrate by wearing white jeans or by sitting on fabric chairs without having to think… ‘What if?’. But sometimes, prior to menopause, her scary younger sister rocks up offering sweet little treats like anxiety and palpitations, crying spells and mood swings, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts. 

‘Well hello there perimenopause… I have to say I didn’t see you walking up the drive!’

Fast forward a couple of years to a place where balance is restored thanks in the main to hormone replacement and I find myself scouring the internet to find the countless films and TV shows that should’ve prepared me along my way. Turns out there’s not much there. It’s almost like people in the movies or on TV don’t go through it? Sure there’s the odd nod… Samantha having a hot flash in Sex in the City, a nugget in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s series, Fleabag, where Kirsten Scott-Thomas spews the not-quite joys of the menopause, oh and Netflix animated series, Big Mouth’s the Menopause Banshee… but other than that, there really is precious little else. So when I stumbled upon this gem called W@40 from Smitha Sathish in Kerala, I figured it was worth the 12 minute watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLYAHrFksSk