"I spent $3,000 to get a perimenopause diagnosis"
... which inspired me to create a database of peri/menopause specialists
My $3,000 journey to self-diagnosing perimenopause
BY ESTHER SEDGWICK of MAD ALICE
General and sustained shittiness. It was difficult to articulate exactly what I was experiencing, as my symptoms were numerous. I’d been on the hamster wheel for five years — juggling motherhood and a demanding career in tech marketing. As a former athlete, I knew what it was like to feel strong in my body and mind. This was not it.
Was I feeling terrible because I hadn’t gotten quality sleep in years? Was it the increased work stress? Were the compounding effects of raising young kids during a pandemic (and that late-night doom scrolling) finally catching up? After months of knowing I wasn’t in a good place, I decided to make health my No. 1 priority. This is where that journey took me.
Meet Valerie Lapinski, the creator of a pocket-sized zine about perimenopause
Brooklyn, NY • Instagram @fanclubzine • LinkedIn
I’m a journalist, producer, and writer living in Brooklyn with my family. My career began at a community radio station in Sitka, Alaska; it truly changed my life forever. Doing journalism has led me to some amazing experiences at places like The Guardian, Vox, and TIME. I’m always doing several creative projects at once, which is just the way I like it.
I’m in the midst of
Taking a breath in between career moves, enjoying my family and working on passion projects. My latest project is a zine about perimenopause; I wanted to do something refreshingly non-digital. It’s been fulfilling to talk to uterus-havers about their experiences and to get inspired by their humor and creativity. The physical issue is cute and tiny — my friend said it feels like a little taco seasoning packet! — and it’s free to download and print if you don’t happen to be in Brooklyn. I’m excited about the issues to come. Oh yeah, and I’m also writing a romance novel.
Calling all midlife trailblazers! We’d love to tell your story. Sign up to become a Founding MidstHer here on The Midst Substack. We’ll email you with more details. If you have questions, email tiffany@the-midst.com.
Let’s chat!
Have burning questions about your journey in midlife so far? Or advice you want to share with others? We want to see/hear/read it all!
Our chat threads is a space for our community of MidstHers to ask questions, offer advice, or share with each other during the ups and downs of the peri/menopausal journey. Anyone who is a subscriber can start or join our Substack chat, where you’ll hopefully get some slices of wisdom or at least some relatability from others going through similar situations.
From *the* moment you realized you were “older” to make-up recommendations, add your voice to the community conversations in our Substack chat. Bonus points: Tell us what you want to see more of from The Midst.
— Tiffany Nieslanik, Head of Community
What’s up next?
Stay tuned for tips from a midlife stylist, midlife immune health, and a review of Rebel Girl by Kathleen Hanna.
It's shocking that someone would have to spend such a large sum to get a perimenopause diagnosis—especially when it's a natural phase of life that should be recognized and addressed without financial barriers. It highlights a bigger issue in healthcare: the difficulty many women face in getting proper care and validation for conditions that are often dismissed or misunderstood. Perimenopause affects so many women, yet the symptoms can be overlooked or misdiagnosed for years. It's crucial that we advocate for better access to affordable healthcare and support for women navigating these life changes, so they don't have to go through financial and emotional stress to get the answers they need.
https://99panditji.in/