See, that’s what the app is perfect for.

What is menopause?

It may start with changes to your period. Perhaps they're not as regular as they used to be. They're heavier than usual, or lighter. Maybe you miss one completely. At first, you worry you're pregnant. (Wouldn't that be a shock!) But then, you get your period ... two weeks later than usual.

Other changes start, too — subtle enough that you don't notice them at first. You're waking up at night, even though you've never had trouble sleeping before. You feel moodier and occasionally find yourself snapping at your family or becoming annoyed with a co-worker. Your breasts are sometimes tender, you feel like you're having trouble focusing and was that a hot flash?

You do the math and realize that, yes, you're about the age your mom was when she starting going through menopause. (Is that possible?" you wonder. "I feel so much younger!") You talk to your sisters or girlfriends about their experiences. You look up the symptoms of menopause on the Internet. You go for three months without a period. You think that this maybe it ...

... and get your period the next day

A normal part of life

Menopause — which marks the end of your menstrual cycles — is a time of great change. It's also a healthy; natural and normal part of life.

By its simplest definition, menopause occurs when your ovaries stop making estrogen and progesterone — female hormones necessary to maintain your menstrual cycles and fertility. In most women, menopause occurs naturally, at about age 51. In some women, menopause may be the result of a medical procedure, such as chemotherapy, pelvic radiation therapy or the surgical removal of the ovaries.

Most women will notice changes in their bodies in the years before menopause (perimenopause) and after menopause (postmenopause). These changes, like menopause itself, vary among women. While some women experience many symptoms of menopause (including hot flashes and night sweats), other women experience few, if any, disruptions.

Each woman's menopause experience is unique And while some of the changes you encounter may feel surprising or uncomfortable initially, take heart from the fact that what you're going through is a natural part of life — one that you, like millions of women before you, will be able to handle.

Don't worry. You've got this.

Hormonal changes during your lifetime

Throughout your life, hormones — chemical substances that influence other cells in your body—play a vital role in your health and development.

When you were young, low levels of the female hormone estrogen influenced the growth of your bones and muscles (not to mention your brain, heart and blood vessels). As you neared puberty, estrogen production increased and determined the start of your first period.

During your reproductive years, hormone levels fluctuate on a monthly basis. In fact, it's this constant rise and fall that controls your menstrual cycle. At the beginning of each month's cycle, for instance, estrogen and progesterone levels are low and start to rise, thickening the lining of your uterus in preparation for an egg (oocyte). About 14 days later, hormone levels rise again as you ovulate — which is when the egg leaves your ovary and travels down the fallopian tube to your uterus. If you don't become pregnant at this point (because the egg is not fertilized by a sperm), hormone levels start to fall, and your uterine lining is shed as you have your period. This happens time and again, month after month, throughout your reproductive years.

As you age, however, and nears the end of your reproductive years — typically around your mid-40s —the consistent rise and fall of hormones start to change. Your ovaries, which produce estrogen and progesterone, get smaller, and their rate of hormone production becomes irregular and less predictable.

These hormonal changes — which mark the beginning of perimenopause — can cause irregular menstrual cycles and other symptoms, such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness. These fluctuations and changes may last several years before you experience your last menstrual cycle.

Eventually, the production of reproductive hormones slows to such a degree — and the number of eggs stored in the ovaries diminishes to such a degree —that your periods stop altogether. When this happens, and you have not had a period for at least 12 months, you have reached menopause. In this situation, you can take some best quality menopause supplements that are available to buy online.

Hormone primer

Your hormones change throughout your life, playing important roles in reproductive health. Here's a look at the key ones.

Estrogen This female hormone, released by the ovaries, helps regulate the menstrual cycle during the reproductive years. Estrogen levels rise and fall during your menstrual cycle, and significantly decrease by menopause. Prior to menopause, estradiol is the primary estrogen in your body. After menopause, estrone becomes the dominant form.

Progesterone. This female hormone, also released by the ovaries, stimulates the uterus to prepare for pregnancy and helps maintain a pregnancy. Progesterone levels drop after menopause.

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FHS). This hormone, secreted by the pituitary gland, stimulates the ovaries to produce eggs. (In men, FSH stimulates the production of sperm.) FSH levels go up and down during your menstrual cycle and rise at menopause.

Luteinizing hormone (LH). This hormone, also secreted by the pituitary gland, triggers ovulation. Levels of LH also rise at menopause.

Testosterone. This male hormone, which belongs to a class of hormones called androgens, is also released in small amounts in women, through the ovaries and adrenal glands. Testosterone plays a role in your libido and helps maintain muscle mass and energy. Testosterone levels go down gradually with age and do not decline specifically because of menopause.

mortallycoldmagazine

periods & Venom are the same thing

mortallycoldmagazine

Periods are just our symbiotes having their monthly temper-tantrum. Let me explain.

- Cramps? That’s just the symbiote getting hungry and snacking on your appendix, don’t be a wuss about it.

- Cravings? Ya saw how much Venom wanted tater-tots; just use your symbiote as an excuse for your complete lack of self-control around chocolate when you have your period.

- WE ALL GET WEIRD-ASS CHUNKS IN OUR PERIOD. That’s not the walls of our uterus, that’s just little leftover bits of our alien friend being flushed out of our body.

- Mood swings? You’re really telling me that a FOREIGN ANIMAL living in your body isn’t going to mess with your hormones/ emotions?? LIke damn, look how much having pets affects a human’s emotional state. Now imagine a pet INSIDE OF YOU. My point exactly.

-Idk if this is just me, but I sleep A. LOT. When I have my period. it’s the symbiote inside of me, taking up/using all of my energy. Like a tapeworm. (ew)

-BIRTH CONTROL GETS RID OF THE SYMBIOTES. That’s why you don’t get your period on certain kinds of birth control. As soon as you stop taking it, though, you get re-infected.

-The symbiotes are attracted to/eat (??idk) estrogen, that’s why the only affect women. Trans women start taking estrogen pills & get infected, causing them to have periods. Trans men take estrogen blockers & permanently get rid of the symbiotes, stopping their periods.

-Young people don’t get symbiotes bc they aren’t producing enough estrogen.

-Menopause happens bc no symbiote wants a weak-ass old person as their host.

-Some symbiotes are stronger/more active than others; that’s why some people have longer, heavier, more painful periods than other people.

- The thing is, these symbiotes are a bit smaller than Venom. We don’t have goop coming out of us 24/7. We don’t always have cravings. They go on these monthly rampages for around 5 days out of the month, then they calm tf down and sleep for a while.

-But still, symbiotes causing periods would explain SO MUCH. Diarrhoea? Sweating? ALL THE TERRIBLE THINGS THAT COME WITH PERIODS? Just blame it in your stupid mfing symbiote. Hopefully, it’ll calm down and go back to sleep in a couple of days.

-Yeah idk where I was going with this but the idea popped into my head and I kinda just ran with it lol.

shiftythrifting

in seattle, wa

brutereason

A Short Cancer Survivor Rant

brutereason

Hey so, fun fact you may not know if you’re lucky enough not to have to, but: indoor temperature control is an accessibility issue. Some people, due to autism, endocrine problems, menopause, medication side effects, or any number of other issues (including just their body sucks), cannot physically/mentally handle hot temperatures or extreme temperature changes.

Your cool fun radical hippie space that has NO air conditioning and perhaps just a box fan (if even that) is probably not accessible to a potentially large subset of folks. Even people who are physiologically “normal” can have executive function issues that prevent them from being able to focus or regulate their mood in an overly hot environment. Yeah, yeah, it’s unpleasant for everyone. But I’m talking about a whole other level of unpleasant.

When I have hot flashes in a climate-controlled environment, I’m able to manage them by taking deep breaths, taking off a layer of clothing, or drinking cold water. When I have hot flashes in a NON-climate controlled environment, they spiral out of control and lead to prickly heat all over my body, feeling like lava is pooling in my chest, mood swings, panic attacks, uncontrollable sobbing, and in extreme cases, acute depression and suicidal ideation.

Keep in mind that 80 degrees indoors is not the same as 80 degrees outdoors, where the air is usually moving at least a little bit. (I’d prefer 90 degrees outside to 80 degrees inside, any day.)

Keep in mind that if your space/activity requires any sort of physical movement besides maybe walking from room to room, the temperature will need to be lower in order to be accessible. I can tolerate sitting in an 80-degree room. If I have to be active in an 80-degree room, it leads to everything I listed above.

“Compromising” by making your space freezing cold is not a solution, because those of us who have temperature regulation issues will not be able to regulate in that situation, either. I suppose it’s better than no AC at all, but honestly not by much. Consider: installing individual thermostats in each office, loosening dress codes, providing small fans or space heaters for individuals to place next to them as needed, setting the thermostat to a consistent temperature and advertising this in advance to anyone who will be visiting or working there.

If you are inviting folks to a space that does not have effective air-conditioning, you NEED to warn them front and center. I am fucking tired of asking people if their house, event space, etc has air conditioning. I have to plan my entire life around temperature regulation now. I’m not alone. There are many of us out there. Most of them are people going through menopause who politely say nothing because it’s not something you’re supposed to talk about it. Well, I’m fucking talking about it. Install AC. If you can’t do that, warn people.