OMG! This is me

I tried to unlock the wrong car in Staples' parking lot this morning!

"Ha, Ha," you might say, or "So what?" After all the car was the same color and size as my car. In the bright light of morning, anyone could make that mistake.

Well ...

Sometimes my mind works and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes its scary. So what's going on?

At 46, I'm in a time of transition in my life. I am completing my college education and will be entering the working world once again. If that isn't scary enough, I'm at a physiological transition too -- I'm entering a new stage of life.

I think I've finally come to accept that I am in perimenopause -- the transition period just before menopause.

Although I'm still having regular periods -- and menopause isn't "official" until menstruation has stopped for a year -- the transition period can start years earlier.

As a feminist, I embrace and celebrate the changes in my body. There is no sadness in the transition for me.

One of my favorite books has become "The Wisdom of Menopause" by Dr. Christian Northrup.



Dr. Northrup says my brain is simply "rewiring for the next phase of life." I like that.

My personal gynecologist, Dr. Patricia Ferguson of Southfield, Mich., agrees.

Dr. Ferguson says we have to find new ways of doing things, because at this stage of life, the old ways don't work anymore.

I was thrilled to find this article written by Valerie Ulene for the Los Angeles Times.

Ulene is my age. She writes, "I'm 46, and there are days when it feels like I'm completely losing my mind. I misplace my car keys, struggle to remember details of recent conversations, and can't recall seemingly anybody's name. To help cope with my mental cloudiness, I always keep an extra set of keys nearby, write endless sticky notes to myself, and frequently opt for the generic "hello" over more personalized greetings."

OMG! -- somebody just like me.

I found this article very reassuring. And, it seems that one of the best coping mechanisms is sharing with other women who are going through the same things.

Thank you, Valerie.

Read Valerie Ulene's article in its entirety: Rough transition into menopause.

Visit Dr. Christiane Northrup's website at www.drnorthrup.com.