Menopause and the #3BHF (Three minutes Before a Hot Flash)

In my next blog, Menopause and Marijuana, I discuss the 3BHF. I thought I’d give my explanation of the 3BHF beforehand. 

OK, for you, the timing of the 3BHF may be different but I bet you get the same feelings. 

During that three minutes before a hot flash, my mind races through the following (this is in no way a full list):

I cannot go through this again!

Why can’t they move faster?

I will break down the door if the bathroom is occupied again...

I want to kill myself.

Then I give myself a lecture (again, not a full list):

Yes, you can.

You don’t know why...relax.

Do I have to pee that bad?

No...It’s just the 3BHF.

Like right this second as I have my 15th 3BHF and my 15th hot flash for the day. 

It’s OK to think about these things.

Try not to act on them if you can help it. Please. Call someone first. Call 911 if you have to. 

This is to help you understand what is going on. You are not crazy or insane. You have menopause. 

Many of you don’t want to tell your doctors this stuff and I get it. I don’t want to be shamed or locked up either and depending on your situation, you may have very good cause not to speak of this stuff. That’s OK too. I hope you can at least read about it and know you are not alone. 

YOU ARE NOT ALONE 

Menopause makes you think of things that, BEFORE menopause, you would have never thought about or considered. But for a fleeting few minutes, you do. You think about the extreme. You are the extreme. 

“In 1990 there were 467 million post-menopausal women in the world.” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8735350/

From Me: (Post-menopause is the fancy new name doctors call it when you stop your period and head into hot flashes and stuff. Just call it menopause. The journey is all menopause.)

By 2030, the world population of menopausal and postmenopausal women is projected to increase to 1.2 billion, with 47 million new entrants each year.  

Find the information in full here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8735350/

It’s just three minutes. Lot’s of three minutes but, it’s just three minutes.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE. #3BHF

Talk To Someone Now

If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States.

https://988lifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now/

Call: 988