I sat at the kitchen table, tears streaming down my face. Carol, my best friend since childhood, sat across the table, her expression a mixture of compassion, pity, shock, and disbelief. Suddenly she burst out in hysterical laughter.
“It’s not funny!” I said angrily. It’s a nightmare!” Carol quickly and totally without sympathy retorted, “Honey, there’s a lot of women out there, me included, that wish they had your problem even for a few days.”
Tears started flowing down my face again. I opened my journal to the first page and handed it to her. “Read this.” I said.
I was diagnosed with premature menopause this week. My Ob-Gyn referred me to a clinical trial of a new hormone replacement treatment. They were thrilled to have a thirty five year old yoga instructor as part of the trials. I went through the screening and had my first injection that same week. The results were immediate. Hot flashes are gone, I’m not as easily irritated, and my energy level returned to normal. Even better, or so I thought, my libido revved up, too. I get turned on just by watching folks working out in the gym. Men, women, it doesn’t matter.