Perimenopause and your relationships: the patience you lost

The invisibility of this stage is one of the hardest parts. Your mom never talked about it, your friends are quietly going through it too, and the people who love you cannot see the 24/7 background hum of symptoms.

What helps: hand them this sentence: "My hormones are changing and it affects sleep, mood, and energy. It is medical, it is temporary, and I need patience, not fixing." And find your people: the subreddit r/Menopause and r/Perimenopause are full of women saying exactly what you are feeling. You are not the only one.