Pari’s story: Unexpected menopause symptoms

Menopause came out of nowhere for me. I wasn’t really expecting it until my fifties. People commonly say that you usually follow your mother, and my mom had hers well after 50.

I remember preparing for a big project launch, and suddenly I started bleeding. It went on for 17 days. I wasn’t scared, but it was odd. I was in the middle of planning my launch, so I didn’t realize how long it had been. I use a period tracking app, and when I looked back I saw that it had been more than two weeks. I called my gynecologist, who confirmed that the process had started.

She explained that there might be months during which I might not get my period and that it might slowly stop completely. After the 17-day “period,” I didn’t bleed for two months.

The months of transition that followed weren’t easy, but my gynecologist was of great help, and with her advice, I was able to manage my symptoms and keep my life as normal as possible. In hindsight, I wish someone had told me more about menopause.

Pari, 48 — Mumbai, India | Find her story at page 94