Muffins with Mom – 3 Signs of menopause



photo credit: Jean Hales

Leg cramps, hair loss, hair growth, hearing loss, oh my. The aging process can be a funny creature. You can laugh through it or you can moan and complain. If your choice is laughter, come with me a few minutes as we explore the humorous side of aging and menopause.

I had an entertaining dinner with my mom the other day. We sat across the table from each other at one of our favorite family restaurants. As we waited for our food, mom asked me if I wanted a pop. I thought she asked if I wanted some “pot” (Mary Jane, doobie, marijuana, weed).

Clearly, I didn’t need any pop or pot. What I needed was a hearing aid. I told my mom that the faux pas must be a part of my menopausal state. If you think you may be experiencing menopause, take look at the 3 signs below.

1.      Hot Flashes – aaah, the dreaded hot flashes. This symptom of menopause will appear at random times and hang around for brief moments and keep reappearing. has been the occasion where I awoke sideways in my bed. It was due to kicking covers off in my sleep, flailing my arms, then pulling covers back on.

I had my very own version of the game Twister going on…left arm blue, right leg green.

2.      Mood Swings – You may have experienced these at other times in your life, but at that ripe age of…menopause, mood swings resurface. While watching a touching T.V. commercial one day, I suddenly felt a warm sensation coming from my eyes. Tears. “Am I crying over a T.V. commercial?” My subconscious asked. Yep. Menopause.

3.      Incontinence - I just read about this as one of the symptoms. All I can say is when you sneeze, squeeze your legs together really tight. Jumping jacks may pose a bit of a challenge as well.

While not everyone will experience all of the signs/symptoms of menopause, just laugh your way through. You may experience hair loss on your head and hair growth on your toes, but hey, life goes on. You can still have joy.