We were having breakfast together, just the two of us, my dear friend and I, outside on a hotel terrace as the weather was glorious. We sat there with our decaf lattes, Greek yoghurts and a cheeky lemon tart. The kind of catch-up where we didn’t really bother with small talk. And halfway through her first sip, my friend grinned at me, raised an eyebrow and said, ‘Cindy… I think I had my first hot flush yesterday. It was a real disaster!’
I leaned in. ‘Go on…’
She started laughing. ‘Well, I was going over to my friend’s place for dinner, classic city stuff, you know? Two flights down from my flat, then four flights up to hers. I arrived at the top completely boiling. I stripped off down to my vest and took a few deep breaths. It’ll pass, I thought. Fair enough, I just climbed a few floors.’
‘But then,’ she continued, ‘we sat down to eat. And again: boom! I felt this sudden, ridiculous heat. Not just warm. I mean I was drenched. I had to peel everything off again. I was literally soaked through.’
We both burst out laughing, because of course, even though I haven’t experienced it myself yet, I knew exactly what she meant.
‘It was actually really embarrassing,’ she admitted, and then paused. ‘After that, I started questioning everything: had I eaten something weird? Taken one pill of my medication too many? Too much coffee? What is this?’
She shook her head. ‘But no. It wasn’t the food. It wasn’t anything like that. It was… menopause. And I’m pretty sure I just got my welcome party.’
I love her honesty and her humour. And I loved that she felt safe enough to just say it out loud – and that she’s happy for me to share it here with you.
Because that’s the thing with peri-menopause: it sneaks up. One moment you’re climbing stairs. The next, you’re stripping layers mid-dinner and wondering what on earth just happened to your body. But then you tell someone and suddenly, you realise you’re not the only one.
So if you’ve felt that heat, or even just sensed a shift but weren’t quite sure what to call it, welcome. You’re not alone, and you’re not imagining it.
This blog is where I gather and share stories like these; messy, funny, honest ones, because I believe it helps when we talk and read about it. About the hot flushes, the forgetfulness, the questions, the confusion. About all of it.
And if you’re not quite there yet? That’s OK too. One day you’ll be having breakfast with a friend, and one of you will say,
‘So… I think I just had my first hot flush,’
and the other will laugh and say, ‘Tell me everything!’
Hasta pronto,
x
