Navigating Perimenopause as a Black Woman in Her Mid-40s: A Journey of Resilience

Standing at the crossroads of my mid-40s, I face a profound intersection of identity and biology. Perimenopause, that inevitable yet often unspoken phase of a woman's life, has arrived, and it's nothing like I expected. Honestly, I don’t feel like myself! My soul is searching for the home my mother lost when she entered this phase. Do you know we lose Black women during this season? You know that we never return home to ourselves if no one lovingly takes our hand and ushers us to the other side.

They say that women must be studied as if you are comprehending a literature review. We must be released from the branches of regret that rarely bear the fruit of vulnerability. People rarely listen to us but hone in on everything we do. I suppose this season of my life doesn’t appeal to a broader audience. I suspect this moment in my life is when they handed me my walking papers. The world often leaves us dismantled and wonder why we bruise.

Being a Black woman in her mid-40s navigating perimenopause isn't just a physical journey; it's a voyage through uncharted emotional and societal territories. It's about more than just hot flashes and mood swings; it's about the intersectionality of age, race, and gender and the unique challenges and triumphs that come with it. It’s about the struggle to find the doctor of my exact likeness who attends to my needs because she understands rather than ignores me because it’s too close to her struggle. It’s about sitting at the foot of other women who hope the moonlight notices us when our partners have to spend hours gazing at us because we tend to become unrecognizable as we age. It’s about the pleasure we yearn for, the scent of freedom tucked nicely between our breasts. My body hasn’t left me; it’s beckoning me home.

This blog isn't just about hormones and night sweats; it's about reclaiming power, challenging stereotypes, and celebrating the resilience of being a Black woman in a world that often overlooks our experiences.

I don’t know what things will be like on the other side, but I know I will carry my sexuality like a women’s studies class full of eager women dedicated to changing the world.