What no one told me about perimenopause

I had to learn most of this from other women, mostly in DMs, mostly late at night. That's not good enough - not for us, and not for the women coming up behind us.

"Information is the first kindness. Then sleep. Then patience."

Sleep changes first. Then temperature. Then the way you carry your mood from one room to the next. None of it is your fault. All of it is real.

Find a doctor who listens. Track your symptoms - actually write them down. Move your body in ways that feel kind, not punishing. And please, talk about it out loud. The silence is the part that hurts the most.