Hi! My Name is Eva, and I’m Hormonal.

A real talk about women’s health, hormones, menopause and relationships.

Hi there, I'm Eva, and I'm here to talk about female hormones and their impact on your marriage.

This isn't your typical medical article filled with jargon and distant observations; it's a raw, real-life dive into what it's like living on the edge of hormonal fluctuations.

I'm laying it all out, from the frustrations of mood swings to the conflicts in my marriage.

By sharing my journey, I hope to connect with anyone who's ever felt overwhelmed by their own body's changes.

Grab a cup of coffee or tea, and settle in. It's time to get real about "them hormones"!

The hormonal rollercoaster women are directly impacted by.

"You are hormonal" — you have no idea how much I dreaded hearing this. How angry it made me, and how it still does make me feel today, to the point I feel my blood rushing to explode, making me want to hurt the person in front of me.

Yet, they are right.

Sadly, hormones do mess up with us women and impact other important relationships, which is why we should be brave enough to admit they are an issue instead of becoming defensive.

And since I am not a doctor to give you medical advice, my mission here is to help you realize that hormones are too important for our well-being to ignore.

Hi! My name is Eva, and I’m hormonal.

I give you that. It hurts to say it out loud. It makes me cringe. Yet, we must say it so it becomes easy to talk, even like a rehearsed thing, to allow us to move past the social stigma and focus on the solution.

Without therapy to regulate it, female hormones are known to go up and down like on a rollercoaster. During a monthly cycle, the progesterone and estrogen levels fluctuate, which can lead to a series of symptoms that can range from mild to severe from one woman to another.

I don't follow any hormonal therapy at this point, so I know my hormones are acting out.

It's been more than a decade since I last took birth control pills. I've been through a pregnancy, I breastfed for more than two years, I've gone through post-partum depression, and now, I'm closer to my 40s than my 30s.

I'm seeing, besides the obvious physical changes like the first fine wrinkles and grey hair, changes regarding my menstrual cycle, from brown spotting for weeks and uncomfortable tenderness in my breast to bilateral fibroadenomas (which is a benign growth abnormality in the breasts).

Then, on the mental side, I am more prone to periods of depression and anger outbursts.

I know precisely when depression kicks in because I lose interest in most things that usually give me pleasure, like working out, painting, spending time with my child or friends, reading, cleaning up, shopping, etc, and my energy levels go super low.

Hence, I feel lousy and guilty for procrastinating; I feel ugly for not working out and eating badly; I feel like a bad mom for not spending quality time with my son and an inefficient employee because of the brain fog and lack of drive, and the list can go on.

All these make me very angry. Angry with me first of all.

Hormone’s ripple effect on our relationships.

Considering this background, any little extra annoyance from my husband, in particular, gets an unproportionate reaction from me.

He doesn't understand. He thinks I'm normal because I look normal, when in fact, I'm a ticking bomb.

Things that I usually don't react to and approach maturely, such as aligning on family life logistics, can go straight to hell when I'm "hormonal".

Example — when I ask my dear husband: "Could you find some activity with our son for a few hours on day x while I'm going for an appointment for a haircut?" and instead of receiving a simple "Yes" or "No, that day doesn't work, but let's work this out so you can go," I'm questioned and challenged on why do I need it, or faced with complaints, it annoys me to my core and makes me burst with anger.

But if it weren't for my hormones, which recent research backs up, I could maturely explain to my husband how unsupported I feel when he's responding like that to my ask. I would take time to explain to him again, calmly, that I am not making them any schedule but asking to work out together a day when I can take care of my needs. Also, I would non-judgementally tell him that I am an adult who doesn't have to justify her needs, and all I ask from him is how he can accommodate my request at his convenience.

But the bitch in me wouldn't even consider that.

She would huff, puff, and call him names, yelling until her voice would soar instead of admitting how sad she felt and unsupported.

She would not talk to him for days, giving him the cold shoulder, then she would get her period, and upon her hormone levels coming back, she would undress the bitch's cloak and remorsefully ask for forgiveness.

Now, don't get me wrong.

My husband is still an ass for treating me like that, but he's an ass I usually know how to handle and get the best results. When I ask him for forgiveness, it is not because he was right and I was wrong but because of my unproportionate reaction, which made me look more like a tantrum-possessed toddler than the balanced adult I am most days.

Back to hormones, I don't like at all that I get the hormones controlling me, getting the best out of me rather than the other way around.

I don't like to have to apologize to anyone because of "them hormones", so I will take this topic as seriously as it gets and will seek professional medical help because I know hormones can be tamed.

The journey towards understanding.

Many women approaching menopause, like myself, face ridiculously important changes in their bodies that mess up their well-being and life due to the changing levels of hormones.

Hormone therapy should be a natural topic to discuss with your GP and OBGYN doctor as we approach this life phase. Yet, many of us have so little knowledge of the impact of hormones on our physical and mental well-being, and the fact that the topic is still controversial on benefits outweighing the risks (including cancer and heart-related issues) is not helping either.

But when you're affected by hormones, it's not "just a phase" which, if you ignore enough, will eventually disappear. This "phase" can seriously screw up the quality of your life, including leading to potential divorces.

New research suggests that the hormonal fluctuations that occur during perimenopause and menopause can significantly impact not only the woman herself but also her marriage. Studies show that during menopause, a higher number of women seek divorce. | Candice Hayden — Can menopause or aging cause divorce?

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) has long been a topic of debate, surrounded by various advantages and disadvantages. While I’m not an expert in this field, it’s clear that a deeper conversation about HRT is essential.

We must engage more with healthcare professionals and researchers to explore how hormones significantly impact our bodies and daily lives. This exploration is crucial for understanding the full spectrum of risks and benefits associated with HRT. Furthermore, it’s important for partners, particularly husbands, to be more supportive and empathetic.

Recognizing that these unseen hormonal changes might influence our behavior can foster greater understanding and compassion in our relationships.

Let’s take charge!

Alright, you’ve read my story — the bad, the worse, and the downright hormonal.

We’ve talked about the crazy ride of mood swings, how it impacts our relationships, and the silent battle of being a woman on the edge of hormonal chaos.

But hear me out. We’re more than our hormones, ladies.

Yes, they play a heck of a role in our lives, but it’s time we take the reins. I’m not just talking about getting medical advice, which, by the way, is super important.

I’m talking about breaking the silence and getting the support we deserve — from our docs, our families, and especially from those partners who might still be scratching their heads trying to figure us out.

Let’s start those conversations, whether it’s with our healthcare provider, our partner, or even just among ourselves. Share your story, listen to others, and let’s educate ourselves and the people around us. Hormones might be part of our journey, but they don’t define us. We do.

And to the men in our lives — it’s time to step up.

We’re not just being dramatic; this stuff is real. A little empathy can go a long way. Let’s work together on this and navigate these waters as a team.

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