How to Get an ‘Official’ Perimenopause Diagnosis

If you’d told my 30-year-old self that one day I’d be grateful for an official diagnosis of perimenopause, I would have said, “Get outta town.” But that’s exactly how I feel: grateful. Elated even.

After a year wondering what was wrong with me and spending hours hobbling together my own research and wasting time talking with doctors who quickly dismissed my questions about perimenopause, I finally have a diagnosis. And from a perimenopause expert, no less.

I have perimenopause and I’m proud. I think? In addition to the aforementioned gratitude and glee, I have mixed emotions. Peri is annoying — but less so now that I’ve begun taking progesterone. On the plus side, I feel empowered, grown up, confident, and more in control of my health and well-being.

How did I finally get a diagnosis for perimenopause — plus, a prescription for hormones? It comes down to sharing my story on the Internet. After announcing my problems on Facebook, I heard from Erika Hobbs, a Chicago Sun-Times reporter. Erika contacted me for a quote in her story, Perimenopause is real — and something women should discuss with their physicians. I was so excited that somebody cared that I ranted for a good 15 minutes. “I don’t understand why it’s so hard to find help and relief for perimenopause,” I said. Thankfully, she listened intently, and…