Amy Cuevas Schroeder

Less than a year after having twins, I started experiencing telltale symptoms of what I now know is perimenopause — but initially wrote it off as the "aftermath of child birth."

But then the symptoms continued ... night sweats, insomnia, sugar cravings, irritability, headaches, bloating, midsection weight gain. So much fun. Except not at all.

I was raising twins, putting my husband through college, working as the primary breadwinner, and managing these debilitating symptoms, which clearly interfered with my relationships, career, and happiness.

I was not myself.

That was six years ago, and I continue to experience these symptoms and more. My symptoms have, honestly, become my new normal. I've been through a bit of a ringer getting a perimenopause diagnosis and know that I'm in this for the long haul.

Thanks to new research, treatment options, and a swell of menopause awareness activists, I've learned so much about myself and how to manage my symptoms along the way.