Trigger warning: This article includes mentions of rape, depression, and suicidal ideation.
Like golf balls.She recommends Knix period underwear: Theyre going to be your friend.
I write the name down.
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Union has a pretty good idea of why that is.
Youre not going to have the same pay; youre not going to get the same jobs.
But speaking of fuckability: Fuck those guys.
51-year-old Union hasnt just uttered the M-word, shes shouted about it.
And shes like, Hey, girl, Im back, Union laughs.
Predictability is certainly not a hallmark of the menopausal stage.
And then there washair loss: dime-size plugs falling out.
And weight gain: I once went up 27 pounds [seemingly] overnight.
(Pregnancy speculation ensued on social media, says Union.)
The mental health impact of perimenopause has been perhaps the most difficult to manage, though.
Union has also been open about having post-traumatic stress disorder after being raped at 19.
So Ive had anxiety, she says.
But this was different.
And Ive never had depression before, but I was feeling sad, deeply sad.
Union experienced suicidal ideation, which people might not know how to identify.
Its not necessarily saying you want to die, but when people are like I just want to disappear.
And youre not thinking thats suicidal, she says.
But if those feelings get bigger and you have them longer, they can get away from you.
It dramatically changed everything, she says.
And Im still on it… if you didnt see me last night eating pizza on the street corner.
But when Union deviates from her diet, she feels it.
Ill be drenched, she says.
The hot flashes are the first thing to come back.
(But sometimes real cheese is worth it.)
The more I communicate, the more people are able to be empathetic and give Mommy a little space.
(Union has a 5-year-old daughter and three step-children with husband Dwyane Wade.)
Im like, Its a physiological thing… with a dash Hollywood.
So what about the jobs, the pay, the fuckability?
I was sort of ready for the slowdown and it hasn’t happened.
I’ve actually never had more opportunity.
Ive never worked more.
I’ve never made more money, says Union.
I don’t think I’ve ever been more interesting, to be honest, in my whole life.
Pardon my language, but I was a bad motherfucker before.
And I’m a bad motherfucker now.
And I will be a bad motherfucker when I’m postmenopausal.
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