3 Sisters, 3 Times the Hormones: From Periods to Perimenopause

Perimenopause comes to us all

Just the title sounds a lot, doesn’t it? That’s right my parents were brave (or mad) enough to have four kids, and three of us were girls. They obviously stopped when they got to me, the perfect child! I think there were plenty of times my dad (and most probably brother) dreamed of escaping on holiday or just down the pub, though, in reality, he just hid in the loft or the shed.

There are five years between each of us: Karen (49), Louise (44), and me, Claire (39).(We won’t talk too much about our brother Richard (47) people often forget he exists, and honestly, I think he prefers it that way!)

Between us, we’ve got six kids born between 2007 and 2011, and chaos has basically been our family brand since the day Karen was born! lol!

We started syncing our periods as teens (a real treat, as you can imagine), and then, just to stay on theme, we even synced our pregnancies. Each of us had two kids within four years, so baby brain hit all of us hard. Conversations were never finished, someone was always crying (child or adult), and at least one of us was either feeding babies or ourselves, changing, or refereeing.

Fast forward to now… and guess what? We’ve synced again, because why not? This time, it’s Perimenopause.

Where We’re At Now

• Karen has officially hit menopause (she woo hoos at this) 12 months period-free and feeling quite chuffed about it.

• Louise is deep in the early stages of perimenopause, not enjoying that ride quite as much.

• And me? Thanks to PMDD, chemical menopause and then surgery, I’ve been thrown straight into surgical menopause. (What a party, right?)

Our Menopause Backstory

Menopause caught us off guard, to be honest. Our mum had a hysterectomy in her late 30s, so we never saw what a “typical” menopause journey looked like.

We just remember her suddenly having hot flushes, mood swings, and a good shouting session (usually with our names all merged together). Multi-tasking went out the window; she was always good at cooking different dinners at the same time but this changed to her spending an hour or more in the kitchen drip feeding dinners to us. Thinking about it now, we could have helped her but it never occurred to us that she was having difficulties because, to us, she still looked the same.

Back then, nobody talked about menopause it was just called “the change” and we grew up surrounded by HRT scare stories "it causes cancer”, “you shouldn’t be on it too long”, and so on. So when it started creeping up on us, we weren’t exactly prepared.

Karen’s Menopause Journey

It all started during lockdown in 2020. Karen didn’t see the signs at first, but me and Louise did and so did her family. She was forgetful, chaotic, and missing periods. At 44, she started worrying she might be pregnant and after we managed to get our laughter under control, we pointed out she’d been struggling with brain fog for a few years already and maybe it was something else.

Then came hot flushes, weight gain, low libido, bad hair days the whole checklist. In fact, she had her first hot flush on the same day I did, which she wasn’t thrilled about!

This July, she celebrated her final missed period; she's officially menopausal. Karen has gone through all of this with no medical help. Due to her medical history with Antiphospholipid Syndrome (2006–2011), she can’t take HRT and is waiting to see a specialist for other options. She's been on the waiting list for such a long time that she's kind of given up. So for now, her two little sisters and work friends are helping her through it by supporting, teasing, and reminding her she’s doing brilliantly (even if she forgets what day it is).

Louise’s Perimenopause Story

Louise’s journey was a little more subtle probably because she’s always been a bit forgetful! But once we stopped talking over her chaos, we realised she’d slipped into perimenopause too.

Her biggest symptoms were brain fog, tiredness, and that “can’t-be-bothered” feeling that creeps in with the hormones. She started feeling guilty for not having the energy to do it all, but we reminded her, it’s not laziness, it’s peri-menopause.

Over the past few years, her memory and focus have really changed. Cooking different meals for the family feels impossible, and multi-tasking is officially cancelled.

Her skin and hair have changed too; itchy skin, greasier hair, breakouts, and thinning patches. Luckily, she’s got me! (She never thought she would be saying that!) Her menopausal hairdresser sister, to guide her on supplements, styling tricks, and products that support regrowth and scalp health.

Now she’s got a solid new routine:

• Cooking with her son (less stress, more connection)

• A daily nap to recharge

• Taking Nutrition Geeks’ Menopause Bundle for brain fog, focus, and hair & skin health

She’s feeling more herself and that’s what it’s all about.

Me, The Surgical Menopause Sister

My journey’s been a bit different. After surgery, I was catapulted straight into medical and surgical menopause, with no gentle transition phase. I went from jumping in with my chemical menopause first then straight in to my hysterectomy. I’m on HRT, and it’s been a lifeline (I am the only one of us on HRT, Louise hasn't quite made the call yet) helping balance the chaos, manage symptoms, and keep my hair and mood in better shape.

Three sisters and three different routes, proving that everyone’s menopause journey is different, and that’s absolutely okay.

Three Sisters, One Big Hot Flush

Fast forward to 2025, and guess what? Just like during our baby brain years, we still haven’t finished a full conversation since 2007, thanks, brain fog!

Between us, we’ve ticked off almost every symptom in the menopause handbook: Hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings, hair changes, brain fog, dry mouth, electric shocks, you name it.

But the beauty of going through menopause together is that we don’t just share the struggles, we share the laughs. Honestly, this might be the closest we’ve ever been.

We cry, we laugh, and we take the mick out of each other constantly. Because if you can’t laugh about night sweats at 3am or forgetting why you walked into the kitchen, when can you?

Menopause Doesn’t Have to Be Lonely

Menopause can feel isolating, but it doesn’t have to be. Whether it’s your sisters, family, friends or a connection online. You need those people who’ll listen without judgment, laugh when you lose your train of thought, and remind you that you’re not going mad (well you are but its normal!) you’re just hormonally gifted.

We might never finish a conversation… but we’ll get through it together. 💙🩵