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Perimenopause is the body's way of reminding you that absolutely nobody handed out an instruction manual. 😊

It's the transitional phase before menopause, when hormones start doing interpretive dance routines and symptoms can appear long before your periods stop.

Fun surprises may include brain fog, insomnia, anxiety, hot flushes, rage, joint pain, forgetfulness and standing in the kitchen wondering why you walked in there.

No

Perimenopause Bites is a work of fiction.

Maggie Sullivan is not a real person, although many readers may recognise parts of themselves, their friends, their colleagues or that woman who cried in the supermarket because they moved the yoghurt.

The characters are fictional. The experiences may feel surprisingly familiar, as they are based on experiences by real women, and backed by stacks of research.

Because too many women, including myself, were blindsided by perimenopause.

We get sex education. We get pregnancy books. We get parenting advice.

Then somewhere around our forties, the wheels start wobbling and everyone acts like we're supposed to know what's happening.

I wanted to write a story that made women laugh, feel seen and realise they're not alone.

For many women, it can begin in their forties.

For some, it starts earlier.

The frustrating part is that symptoms often appear before anyone mentions the word "perimenopause."

Many women spend years blaming stress, burnout, work, parenting, ageing or lack of sleep before connecting the dots.

Unfortunately, yes.

Many women describe forgetting words, losing their train of thought, walking into rooms with no idea why they're there, or staring at an email for ten minutes before remembering what they meant to write.

The good news? You're probably not losing your mind.

The bad news? You may still lose your car keys.

Excellent question.

One minute you're a calm, functioning adult.

The next you're throwing a tantrum because someone chewed too loudly.

Many women experience increased irritability, frustration or rage during perimenopause. It's surprisingly common, although not nearly talked about enough.

Absolutely.

Brain fog, fatigue, sleep disruption, anxiety and loss of confidence can all affect concentration and performance.

Many women continue showing up, leading teams, managing businesses and raising families while quietly struggling behind the scenes.

Which is one of the reasons this book exists.

Not at all.

Many readers tell me they've bought copies for friends, sisters, mothers, daughters and partners.

If you've ever loved, lived with or worked alongside a woman navigating midlife, there's probably something here for you too.

No.

It's a novel.

A story about friendship, family, careers, hormones, identity and trying not to completely lose the plot.

Along the way you'll find Truth Bites — short factual snippets that help explain some of what women experience during perimenopause.

That was certainly the plan.

Perimenopause can be frustrating, confusing and sometimes overwhelming.

But it can also be absurdly funny.

Sometimes all you can do is laugh, pour another coffee, indulge in a square of dark chocolate, and keep going.

No.

Maggie is a fictional character.

That said, many women tell me they see themselves in Maggie, or recognise parts of friends, colleagues, sisters, mothers and neighbours.

Which probably says more about how common these experiences are than anything else.

That's the million-dollar question.

For something that affects roughly half the population, it remains surprisingly absent from many conversations.

Many women arrive at perimenopause armed with plenty of information about puberty and pregnancy, but very little about what comes next.

Hopefully that's starting to change.

Absolutely.

Perimenopause Bites explores friendship, work, family, identity, relationships and the realities of midlife.

It tends to generate plenty of discussion, laughter and the occasional "I thought that only happened to me" moments.

Please do.

Partners, husbands, brothers, managers, sons and friends are all welcome.

The women in their lives will most certainly appreciate it.

Perimenopause Bites is available through Amazon across all English-speaking markets, in both paperback and ebook formats.