Breasts and Perimenopause

A subject that has been coming up a ton has been Perimenopause which is a fancy way of saying "around menopause. According to Mayo Clinic, this is the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years. Women start perimenopause at different ages. You may notice signs of progression toward menopause, such as menstrual irregularity, sometime in your 40s. But some women notice changes as early as their mid-30s. Do you know how long this could last -12 YEARS!!! 

Getting older sucks but it is better than the alternative. 

Well that was a big awakening. No one told me this. In fact, aside from a few conversations overheard by my grandmothers and then my mom, it is never spoke about. All conversations with me lately have turned to breasts. I mean we get to go through puberty either developed too fast and are uncomfortable with the new found attention and bodies or we beg to blossom.  Then we move into the years where if you opt to have had kids have another metamorphosis. Just when we think our bodies are settling in, the next level of changes begins.  Menopause seemed to be what happened when you got old.  No wonder no one talks about this. My favorite visual someone used with me at a recent pop up was rolling our breasts up like socks to stuff them into the bra.

So what happens during perimenopause   We will skip the science but statistics show, wearing the right bra can make a big difference: 85% of women with breast pain gained relief when they wore a well-fitted sports bra, according to a 2014 study. The same researchers found that relaxation techniques or massaging achy breasts with over-the-counter pain creams was helpful for up to 60% of women. According to Healthline , A few simple strategies may help relieve breast soreness without the potential side effects of medicines or herbal remedies.

• Always wear a supportive bra, especially when you work out.
• Place a heating pad on your breasts or take a warm shower.
• Limit items that contain caffeine, such as coffee and chocolate, since some women find caffeine makes the soreness worse.
• Don't smoke.

The thing they left out, in my opinion, is to talk about this with your girlfriends, mothers, daughters, strangers so that we take some of the stigma away. Sisterhood needs to band together so that the next generation of women do not have the same experience. I started Bloom Bras when I was 40. I would not change a thing but now that I have spent years researching what happens with our hormones and breasts, I want us all to take a collective breath and know you are not alone in your journey. Peri is the new 20.