“No woman is going to get to 90 years old without having gone through menopause.” - Jeanne Andrus As women, society has trained us to be afraid of menopause. To view it as yet another trial we have to suffer through. The truth is that if you learn to accept it, menopause is a gift. And to take advantage of it, you need to support yourself through it. This is the time when we get to put ourselves at the center. After decades of people pleasing, it allows you to take yourself from the periphery and make decisions from a point where you are considered a priority. Today, Tami is joined by The Menopause Guru, Jeanne Andrus. Tami and Jeanne discuss how Jeanne became the Menopause Guru, her purpose and passion for helping women navigate this period of their lives, the technical definition of menopause, symptoms and indicators of menopause, the potential connection between perimenopause and fibromyalgia, how hormone levels change from perimenopause onward, the adjustment period at the start of postmenopause, why menopause should be viewed as a journey with unpredictable experiences and changes in the body, testing hormone levels to determine menopause status, special considerations for identifying where you are in the menopause journey if you’ve been on hormonal birth control, why Jeanne suggests working with your doctor to taper off your birth control gradually regardless of menopause status, Tami’s experience with suddenly stopping her birth control pills, how the pituitary and thyroid glands work together to regulate hormone production, why it’s crucial to remember that menopause is a natural process, supporting yourself naturally through the menopause transition, the overlap of fibromyalgia and menopause symptoms, how hormone replacement therapy can help, the shift in perspective that many women experience in their early 40s, how biology influences our roles in life, Jeanne’s resources for women on the menopause journey, why you should start thinking about menopause in your mid-30s, embracing menopause as a gift, how fibromyalgia can impact menopause symptoms, and more. For those of us with fibromyalgia, many symptoms of menopause overlap, like insomnia, brain fog, pain, and fatigue. You cannot blame all of your symptoms on fibromyalgia because they can be coming from many other places, including hormones. If you’re a woman who’s 30 or above, it’s time to start thinking about menopause.     Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers. To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes. For daily doses of hope, inspiration, and practical advice, join Tami on Facebook or Instagram. Need a good book to read? Download Tami's books for free. Ready to take back control of your life and health? Schedule a complimentary consultation with a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®.