Hello
As most of you will know, we've got a sister site, Mumsnet
And we started thinking that GNers actually have have a wealth of experience in areas that some MNers may only just be starting to think about, or experience personally, and we thought it might be interesting (and, maybe even fun to open up a conversation between the members of the two sites on some of these topics.
One issue that leapt out at us (or, perhaps more accurately, sidled up to us gradually as we entered the prime of life) is the perimenopause: a period either side of the transition into the menopause, when women may start to experience symptoms such as irregular periods, sleeplessness, changes in sex drive and vaginal dryness/itching, emotional ups and downs and so on. (Or may not, of course!)
Lots of GNers have probably been there, done that (and got the t-shirt!) so far as the menopause is concerned, so we thought this might be a useful opportunity for MNers to ask some them any questions they may have, and for members of both sites to share some experience, hard-won knowledge and support.
Of course there will be GNers who have yet to experience either, and MNers who know lots about the menopause and perimenopause themselves, so you should all feel free to ask, answer, or both.
There's a parallel thread running on Mumsnet; we'll cross-post some questions and answers between the two, but do get yourself a Mumsnet log-in and pop over to say hello if you fancy it.
So... what advice could you share about the perimenopause, and wished you'd known earlier?