I loved this Amy, so with you on borderline happy/sad/everything tears always, I undoubtedly feel everything so much more since becoming a parent. And yes peri is very real! There are some great chats about it here, not sure if you’ve seen the series of chats around the All Fours themes with Layla O’Mara, Lindsay Johnstone, Caro Giles and Chloe George, I think you would appreciate xx
Hi Andy, thanks so much for reading and glad I'm not alone in the Ian Wright weep-a-thon. Thanks so much for reading the piece and subscribing - will be hotfooting it over to your substack too in a bit (but first I have to put some Transformers to bed, apparently...)
You have absolutely been missed. So much of what you have written resonates with me. I was too concerned I was perimenopausal and I am 36 - with what I feel to be extreme pms and other odd new symptoms and the dr (a woman i feel compelled to say) just laughed at me and told me it’s all down hill from here and that it will get way worse before she would consider me perimenopausal..
Anyway that’s what we have to look forward to apparently. Heightened everything and more gaslighting. I am interested to read Miranda July’s book though it does sounds fab. I can’t remember the podcast she was on the shift or happy place but the entire conversation was so interesting.
As for All Fours, from a writer's POV, I found it deeply refreshing and radical. A new way of writing. From a (I should add happily, as it is relevant) married woman with kids POV, it was... challenging and eye-opening and confirming and thought-provoking nd provocative and healing. I saw she did a podcast with Esther Perel, so I need to look that one up...
Wow, great response from that GP (sigh). I have also had terribly pointless conversations with (female) GPs who seem to not want to entertain this perimenopause idea in any way. I definitely think my PMS has changed (worsened). I'm riding out how much I can cope with the mood changes...
Yea it’s like they don’t want to open the floodgates and maybe we have to really prove any symptoms are debilitating before they consider hrt.
It’s funny though because she laughed when I said can’t be the menopause surely I am too young (36) but actually it’s 1 in 40 experience menopause symptoms before 40. (1 in 100 actually stop periods) I mean that’s not a ridiculous statistic is it. If it were my a level maths class of 30 odd it could be one of us do you know what I mean? I thought it warranted some sort of serious reaction. I just left feeling a bit defeated. Which I mean for all the nhs is good for that is a common thing when asking about any women’s problems regardless of what gender the gp is.
And I have missed you and also Distracted too (I'm not sure if there is actual sense to this, but I really feel like by not being on substack so much, my notifications didn't come through so I stopped seeing things... Anyway...)
Ah, thank you. It’s nice to be back. I got the fear of posting, avoided the app (well a hectic life helped me do that), but I’ve genuinely missed Substack and all the lovely people, like you, and all the brilliant thoughts xx
I loved this Amy, so with you on borderline happy/sad/everything tears always, I undoubtedly feel everything so much more since becoming a parent. And yes peri is very real! There are some great chats about it here, not sure if you’ve seen the series of chats around the All Fours themes with Layla O’Mara, Lindsay Johnstone, Caro Giles and Chloe George, I think you would appreciate xx
This was a really great read, Amy (and the Ian Wright clip does the trick EVERY TIME.)
I’m pretty new to Substack so this is the first piece of yours I’ve read. Welcome back, though. Subscribing now.
Hi Andy, thanks so much for reading and glad I'm not alone in the Ian Wright weep-a-thon. Thanks so much for reading the piece and subscribing - will be hotfooting it over to your substack too in a bit (but first I have to put some Transformers to bed, apparently...)
😂 No problem at all, thoroughly enjoyed the post.
Look forward to seeing what your write next!
So happy to see you back Amy! And hard relate on having tears near the surface ready to come out at any moment ✌️x
Thank you so much. And also, so glad it's not just me with the tears... I think so much of my writing is an SOS to find likeminded souls! x
You have absolutely been missed. So much of what you have written resonates with me. I was too concerned I was perimenopausal and I am 36 - with what I feel to be extreme pms and other odd new symptoms and the dr (a woman i feel compelled to say) just laughed at me and told me it’s all down hill from here and that it will get way worse before she would consider me perimenopausal..
Anyway that’s what we have to look forward to apparently. Heightened everything and more gaslighting. I am interested to read Miranda July’s book though it does sounds fab. I can’t remember the podcast she was on the shift or happy place but the entire conversation was so interesting.
(Btw struggling to send replies on my computer, hence a million separate replies. Will stop for now...) xx
As for All Fours, from a writer's POV, I found it deeply refreshing and radical. A new way of writing. From a (I should add happily, as it is relevant) married woman with kids POV, it was... challenging and eye-opening and confirming and thought-provoking nd provocative and healing. I saw she did a podcast with Esther Perel, so I need to look that one up...
Oh this sounds good. Yes I think I was drawn to that aspect of it, think I might buy myself a copy for christmas!
Wow, great response from that GP (sigh). I have also had terribly pointless conversations with (female) GPs who seem to not want to entertain this perimenopause idea in any way. I definitely think my PMS has changed (worsened). I'm riding out how much I can cope with the mood changes...
Yea it’s like they don’t want to open the floodgates and maybe we have to really prove any symptoms are debilitating before they consider hrt.
It’s funny though because she laughed when I said can’t be the menopause surely I am too young (36) but actually it’s 1 in 40 experience menopause symptoms before 40. (1 in 100 actually stop periods) I mean that’s not a ridiculous statistic is it. If it were my a level maths class of 30 odd it could be one of us do you know what I mean? I thought it warranted some sort of serious reaction. I just left feeling a bit defeated. Which I mean for all the nhs is good for that is a common thing when asking about any women’s problems regardless of what gender the gp is.
And I have missed you and also Distracted too (I'm not sure if there is actual sense to this, but I really feel like by not being on substack so much, my notifications didn't come through so I stopped seeing things... Anyway...)
So good to hear from you...
Love your writing.
Thank you so much for reading X
🥰 welcome back, this is gorgeous.
Ah, thank you. It’s nice to be back. I got the fear of posting, avoided the app (well a hectic life helped me do that), but I’ve genuinely missed Substack and all the lovely people, like you, and all the brilliant thoughts xx
Adored this ❤️
Thanks so much for reading, Lauren 💛
and we've missed you! ❤️❤️❤️
You’re the best, thank you xx
ps this piece reminds me of a Martha Beck quote I love: "We don't cry when we lose our hope. We cry when we find it.”
Gosh, that’s an amazing quote. What perfect precision of language to ultimately say in so few words what took me more than 1,000. Incredible.