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The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Syndrome

Mary used to be a very sweet, docile, and pleasant woman. She was known for her quiet bubbliness. Not much bothered her, really.  People actually marveled at how well she ran her home, how patient she was with her children and how stress-free she seemed to float through life.  Many people commented that they didn’t know how she did it. Then one day something changed. Actually, it happened slowly over time but when it started they didn’t fully know. Her children started noticing that their mama had been crying.  Her friends starting wondering why her normal extroverted self suddenly seemed so introverted. Her husband felt confused as her normally high libido which seemed to vanish into thin air.  Her pleasant chatter about the day that he usually enjoyed in the evening became clipped and edgy.  There were times she just seemed so withdrawn. And he noticed she was not the sound sleeper anymore that she had once been. Then there was the day she began to snap at the children (something she never did) and she crumpled into a heap on the floor.  She called her husband in desperation feeling like she couldn’t handle anything the way she used to.  What was wrong with her? He came home early that day so she could take a warm bubble bath and rest. Mary’s husband called her best friend, Betty the next morning. He wanted to see if Betty would visit his wife because he was worried about her.  But when Betty arrived, the Mary she had always known greeted her cheerfully.  They chatted and laughed the whole afternoon.  When Betty asked Mary what was going on,  Mary explained that she didn’t know what had come over her the day before but that she felt so much better! Mary’s husband was relieved but very confused.  The next many months were a cloud of puzzlement to him.  Who was this woman he married?  He wanted to be there for her but he didn’t know how.  When she was upset she would just tell him that he didn’t understand.  The worst part for Mary’s husband though was that he never knew which woman he was going to come home to at night.  Sometimes it would be the sweet, old Mary and other times a Mary that cried incessantly and had trouble coping with small decisions. He felt like if he just knew how to help her it would help so much!

Mary has the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Syndrome (otherwise known as the Menopausal Woman Mood Swings.)

Can you relate to Mary’s story.  Maybe can your husband and those around you relate as well? Do you have the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Syndrome?

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Do you feel like your once-pleasant personality and your mojo have skipped town together?

The likely explanation is that perimenopause has kidnapped them. 

Perimenopause is sneaky.  Some days it’s subtle, but other days it plows through your body like a pack of alien invaders.  It is the mistress of disguise.  I know I have been down this journey!  I know how scary it can be.  For some, it is not as severe as Mary’s was, for others it is worse.  In my case for a while, the road was super bumpy.  Then it smoothed out.

The role of Menopause in emotional difficulties is complex. Some women are very sensitive to the ups and downs of their female hormones, as is obvious in those plagued with PMS.  Peri-menopause, when periods are getting irregular, is the time when most women suffer from the moodiness often associated with the menopause transition.  This can add to other symptoms being experienced during this transition to a new season.

Signs of perimenopause can start as early as your mid-late 30’s. While you’re in the thick of raising kids (or considering having more), your ovaries may be looking toward retirement.  Maybe you notice that you’re just a little grouchier or that your periods aren’t quite as regular. Your PMS symptoms, which were once mildly annoying, are now raging. You gain weight even though you’re exercising and eating right.

Once women have stopped having periods, your hormones usually feel evener.  I can remember thinking how out of control my moods were and yet having no control over the feelings.  It can be a confusing time.

It’s important to recognize what’s going on because many women have ended up on antidepressants or sleeping pills because she (and her healthcare provider) did not recognize that these problems were related to a hormone imbalance and not true depression. Antidepressants won’t fix the root cause of the problem. Hormone imbalance can often be corrected with lifestyle change, herbal, essential oils, and nutritional supplements.  I was unable to use HRT or bioidenticals due to an extremely sensitive system.  In some cases, hormone replacement may be necessary, but that’s not usually the place to start.

The first step is to get tested by an expert in menopause.  Find a naturopath or integrative practitioner to see what your imbalance is. This is important because signs of imbalance tend to overlap. Low progesterone can look like low thyroid; high cortisol can look like low progesterone, etc.  And most doctors are not experts in this field.  I was told for years that I was too young to even get my levels tested and I was already perimenopausal.

If you can relate to Mary at all or any of these things I would encourage you to READ MY STORY.  

You do not have to go through this alone.  There are others that have gone before you and can help. 🌷

~Susan

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