Harsh Realities of Menopause Through These 10 Women’s Eyes

Menopause isn’t just hot flashes and mood swings — it’s a wild ride with moments that are frustrating, funny, and completely unexpected. Here are real stories from women who’ve lived it.

• “I yell at people who misbehave in public. I knit and I love it. I have to change glasses all the time to see different distances. My cheeks look like a hamster’s and now are same level as my chin.
  I can grow a nice beard. I do not know any of the songs in the charts. I wear full cover soft bras.” © igomilesforacamel / Reddit

• The other day, I was telling my friend about a movie I loved. “You know, that actor... um... the one with the face?” I snapped my fingers, willing my brain to cooperate. “He was in that movie with the thing. Ugh!”
  She nodded in sympathy. “Menopause brain fog?”
  I sighed. “Yes. My vocabulary has gone on strike.”
  Now I keep a notebook handy for random words that pop into my head. Yesterday, I wrote down “spatula” for no reason. But hey, at least I remembered how to spell it!

• Last month, my husband started walking around the house with a confused expression. “Who keeps turning the thermostat down?” he muttered, checking it for the third time that day. I just shrugged, sweat dripping down my neck.
  Finally, one night, he caught me red-handed. “Aha!” he said, pointing at me like a detective solving a case. “It’s you!”
  “Yes,” I admitted. “It’s me. And unless you want to live with a human volcano, the thermostat stays at Arctic levels.”
  He surrendered, but now he wears a hoodie indoors like we live in Antarctica. Meanwhile, I’m still melting. Welcome to menopause: where you become a one-woman climate crisis.

• “Getting older is like a surprise package you never ordered. First off, my memory plays hide and seek—it’s more hide than seek these days. I went to grab my phone the other day to call someone and ended up finding it in the fridge. Apparently, my brain thinks it’s a leftover sandwich.
  And don’t get me started on making weird noises when I stand up. I used to just stand, no symphony involved. Now, it’s like a creaky door orchestra.
  If only I could charge my joints like a phone, I’d be golden. Growing old: where finding your glasses is a workout, and naps are the highlight of the day.” © rectangularformula47 / Reddit

• “Today I’m cleaning out old clothes storage boxes. I was trying on some old bras, and they all look like teeny triangles like I knew my boobs got bigger the last few years, but it feels like I’m being pranked, these bras are so freaking small!” © aVoidFullOfF***s / Reddit

• My husband calls it “emotional roulette.” Last weekend, I cried because the pancakes looked too perfect. “They’re just so... round!” I sobbed while he patted my back, clearly terrified.
  Later that day, he brought me chocolate as a peace offering. I took one bite and said, “Why would you get me dark chocolate? Do you even know me?”
  He backed away slowly. Smart man.
  Menopause doesn’t come with a mood manual—just buckle up and warn your family.

• “I’ve always had large breasts, and they’re still with me, and I still can’t stand it because I hate wearing bras and wish I could get away with not. I’m now solidly apple-shaped, despite having been a lovely hourglass most of my life.
  My hair is thinning right at the front of my hairline at my forehead, which is pretty hard to disguise, especially since I have the habit of pushing my taking glasses up in my head, where I promptly forget about them until I need them and can’t find them.” © Itzpapalotl13 / Reddit

• “A growing interest in birds should be listed amongst hot flashes and night sweats as a sign of peri and menopause. ‘Oh, look... is that a cardinal? Let me grab my bird book and a pair of binoculars!’” © Solodog2 / Reddit

• “I really like, in a way, the lack of estrogen. Estrogen made me keep my mouth shut too many times. I am full on meno for over 11 years now.
  The other day, a guy I barely know saw a picture of my married, mid-30’s daughter. It was the kind of picture you’d put on a job board. He said one word: Yummy.
  I lack estrogen. He got a dressing down, no excuses accepted, blocked and kicked out of my life. He is a 61-year-old married man, and he will NOT bring that attitude around me.” © Maiya_Anon / Reddit

• Last week, my daughter-in-law sat me down with a very serious look on her face. “I don’t know how to say this, but...” she hesitated, eyes darting to my stomach. I blinked. Was she about to lecture me on my love for stretchy pants?
  Then, in a hushed voice, she asked, “Are you... pregnant?” I choked on my tea. Pregnant? At my age?
  I laughed so hard... But she wasn’t joking. Apparently, she had noticed my “mood swings,” my “weird cravings,” and how I’d been fanning myself like an overheated Victorian lady.
  “Oh, sweetheart,” I wheezed between laughs. “That’s not a baby. That’s just my hormones throwing a rave.” Welcome to menopause—where the symptoms are suspiciously similar to pregnancy, but instead of a baby at the end, you just get... older.

Menopause is a challenging chapter, but it’s also a sign of growth, strength, and a new stage of life. These stories remind us that, despite the ups and downs, relationships can grow stronger through honesty, humor, and a shared understanding of this wild journey.