My Menopausal Sitcom Heroes

Sometimes you just need to laugh

Photo by Aleks Dorohovich on Unsplash

Welcome to menopause Monday. It was Sunday and I was thinking what to write about for this week. I was considering a post on anxiety and how the process of hormone fluctuation affects it. My frustration started to build as I couldn’t find the information for this. It wasn’t the research that was getting to me, I was feeling hormonal and every, single thing was stressing me out.

The funny, not so funny thing is menopausal transitions doesn’t magically disappear once you hit 12-month mark. Nope! According to my gynecologist, estrogen and progesterone are not finished yet in early post menopause. The hormones like to float around in your body and cause havoc just when you think everything is “settling down”.

A random heat flash when you thought you were safe. Oh, lets add night sweats to disrupt your sleep and make you tired and disoriented the next day. How about anxiety that comes out of nowhere? That’s always fun!

I need to give myself grace when I feel like an alien has taken over my mind and body

My poor husband takes the brunt of my mood swings at times. He was trying to check his email yesterday and I laid my wrath on him. My outburst surprised myself. I felt horrible and out of control. I had to explain my plight to him. In my state of mind, I don’t know how he could put up with me when I get like this. I'm honest with him and myself. I try to put on my big girl pants on and hold myself accountable for my actions. I also need to give myself grace when I feel like aliens and have taken over my mind and body.

As I talked to my husband Mike about my menopausal moments, I noticed him suppress a smile. “Why is menopause so funny??” I said indignantly, preparing to get up on my soap box. He said, ‘I’m sorry, but I keep thinking of Kitty Foreman on That’s 70s Show and the menopause episode.” I was annoyed but stifled a laugh myself. Ok that episode was funny. Instead researching the horrors of menopause, I decide to watch some sitcom reels of menopause.

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

Kitty held up to bar of soap to give the boys an anatomy lesson on ovary function decline. It did not end well. Lesson not learned, or was it?

The first video was of Kitty ‘“losing it” on her husband, son and his friends as she used 2 bars of soap to explain ovarian function. Then there was Edith Bunker from All in the Family and her menopausal angst. Edith was feeling old after her doctor told her she was in menopause. She wanted to impress Archie with false eye lashes, only to have them fall in his soup! “You didn’t notice my eyes, Archie!!’’ Edith shrieked. I could recognize both of those characters in myself, and I had to laugh out loud. I felt good to laugh at myself. It felt good not to take myself too seriously and find humor in all of this.

Photo by Ronan Furuta on Unsplash

Archie’s menopause gift for Edit was a small fan. It’s the thought that counts.

All joking aside. Men, those of you that have attempted to read this article and not be scared off, we appreciate you as you navigate this journey with us. It has to be scary seeing your wife, significant other turn into an alien at times. It has to be difficult not knowing what to say to us or what mood we will be in minute to minute. You try and I’m the first to admit that we do not make it easy.

Most of all, thank you Mike, for trying to understand these changes in me. I know it’s not easy. Thank you for laughing with me and reminding me not to take myself too seriously. I appreciate you more than you know.