Latest news with #stinks
Elle
28-07-2025
- Health
- Elle
How Perimenopause Became the New Midlife Catchall for Aging Women
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. We have reached peak perimenopause. And I don't mean that I have reached peak perimenopause, though maybe I have, I'm not sure. There's no definitive test for it, but as the saying goes: 'You'll know it when you see it.' So let's look in my mirror: I'm 44. Sometimes at night I get hot. I've been a bit moody lately. Occasionally, I'll notice something that ordinarily I wouldn't think twice about—a child holding his mother's hand, an older couple, deep in conversation—and start to cry, right there on a New York City street. I'm an ice queen by nature, so it's got to be my changing hormones. Right? What began a few years ago as an eye-opening conversation about women's health—no one told us we were going to experience a mini-menopause! A decade before actual menopause! This stinks!—has gone mass, to the point that perimenopause is now just shorthand for 'I'm in my 40s.' The watershed moment happened in 2023, when Hollywood babe Naomi Watts went public about her experiences with early menopause, introducing many to the word 'perimenopause,' and using her platform to destigmatize this time in a woman's life, which had previously been only whispered about as 'the change.' Shudder. The same year, a cover story about menopause ran in the New York Times magazine that went into detail about the author's perimenopause symptoms. Every woman of a certain age and demographic emailed it to each other with subject lines like, 'THIS IS WHY I'M SO SWEATY,' and 'I'm going on estrogen…right now!' Suddenly it was everywhere: in books (The New Menopause; Hot and Bothered; It's Not Hysteria; Millennial Menopause), articles, podcasts ('Perimenopause Power,' 'Hello, Hot Flash'), and on social media, where funny #perimenopause memes flooded my feed, the algorithm seemingly well aware of both my age and penchant for time wasting. Perimenopause, for those who are living under a rock—or who are, you know, male—is defined as the years of hormonal fluctuations leading up to menopause, the point at which a woman hasn't had a menstrual cycle for 12 months. Lately, I cannot attend moms' drinks without the subject coming up, whether it's someone sharing how they had to change sweat-soaked pajamas in the middle of the night, or confessing that they screamed at their children in a fit of hormonal anger. I was at a recent dinner with an old college roommate, and, as is often the case, talk went to perimenopause as we began comparing our symptoms as if rattling off medieval ailments—achy bones; flaky skin; hair loss. We laughed as my friend told me a story about her 'gushing blood,' having a grand old time until we noticed that the table of young finance bros next to us was listening in, quaking in fear. (Sorry to ruin your meal, guys, but at some point you too will have a wife who bleeds through her pants. Cheers!) The last time I knew so much about my friends' menstrual cycles was when we were 12, and it was a question of if you'd gotten it or not. Now it's a question of: How many times this month? Three? Women's reproductive health has been routinely understudied, and so the burst of interest in perimenopause is, on the whole, a great thing. My cohort and I feel lucky that we have information about this life stage that our mothers did not, though at the same time, knowing that we're entering this process, and all that goes with it, doesn't exactly feel great, either. We should be at the height of our powers; peak career time, kids who are out of diapers, still relatively attractive. But instead of being able to enjoy it we're all focused on our inevitable lurch towards the big M. Decline is on the horizon, ruining our day in the sun. When women feel out of control—or fat, or ugly, or old—what makes them feel better? Products! Many companies have jumped on the opportunity to profit off of the perimenopause surge, from telehealth startups, to vitamin ventures, to businesses making vaginal gels, hair masks, skin oils, and cooling towels, none of which I have bought, but many of which look bright and fun and cute. By 2033, the global menopause market, which includes products aimed at both perimenopause and menopause, is estimated to be more than $25 billion. There are perimenopause tracker apps, and jewelry that claims to relieve symptoms, and for $19.99, you can buy a Clearblue test to pee on that will inform you where you are in your perimenopause journey. (Instead of indicating you're pregnant, those two lines now just mean you're a grump.) But for all the positives, I can't get rid of the nagging sense that perimenopause—or rather, Perimenopause™—has gotten out of control, morphing into yet another cultural catchall, putting a medical term on what used to just be called 'aging.' Because it has so many potential symptoms—the list includes, among other things, mood swings, low libido, weight gain, sleep disturbances, joint pain, irregular periods, anxiety, depression, memory problems, skin changes—it's become a kind of dumping ground for the range of normal human emotions and experiences. I'm reminded of that moment a decade ago, when anyone who was shy, or a little quirky, or couldn't sit through a movie was suddenly 'on the spectrum' or self-diagnosed with ADHD. You couldn't just be an oddball anymore, it had to be a diagnosable condition. And now, I can't just be a 44-year-old woman; instead, I am perimenopausal. When I'm feeling a little bloated? It's definitely perimenopause, not that cheese plate I devoured. Snappy with my children? Perimenopause—sorry, boys! Woke up in the middle of the night? Pesky perimenopause, certainly not the two large glasses of red wine I had at dinner. Oprah said perimenopause gave her insomnia—'For two years I didn't sleep well. Never a full night. No peace,' she said. Salma Hayek said it caused her breasts to grow. 'A lot of people said that I had breast augmentation, but they have just kept growing. Many, many sizes.' And Gwyneth Paltrow said it made her sweaty and moody: 'You're all of a sudden furious for no reason.' Some of this is most certainly true. I am definitely hot at random times, and I never used to be hot. And my period is…weird. But let's say it all together now: It's not always perimenopause. It can't be. The fact that I forgot to put cookies in my kid's lunchbox? I was thinking about something else, and I just, well, forgot. My leg hurts because I banged it into the side of my bed. My skin is dry because I've always had dry skin in the winter. My sleep sucks because I'm 44 and not 24, and my mind is circling a drain of mortgages and parent-teacher conferences and unfulfilled career goals instead of just, like, which bar I'm going to that weekend. No supplement is going to reverse that fact, no matter how much I'm willing to pay for it. Here's another idea—and we all have to agree to have this be our little secret. I'm not against weaponizing perimenopause when I need to, so long as we're honest with each other that we're doing so. I'll even go one step further and say we deserve this, after everything we've been through. Remember when we used to lie about having our periods to get out of swimming at school? And who amongst us hasn't faked a heavy flow to avoid sex? I'm fine with it if you're fine with it, but we just can't tell the men. The other day, my husband and I got into an argument about something or other, I can't remember what (brain fog is a symptom of perimenopause). I was dismissive of him and slightly irrational throughout. Afterwards, when I went to apologize, I cited the raging hormones that have besieged my perimenopausal body. 'No, Emma,' he said. 'That's just your personality.' And so then I yelled at him again. Might as well use the excuse while it lasts! After menopause, I'll just be a regular old bitch again. Emma Rosenblum is the national bestselling author of Bad Summer People, Very Bad Company, and Mean Moms. She's the former chief content officer at Bustle Digital Group, overseeing content and strategy for BDG's editorial portfolios. Prior to BDG, Emma served as the executive editor of ELLE. Previously Rosenblum was a senior editor at Bloomberg Businessweek, and before that a senior editor at Glamour. She began her career at New York magazine. She lives in New York City, with her husband and two sons.
BBC News
20-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
North Sea ship crash: Concern in Skegness as pellets wash up
More than a week after a cargo ship struck an oil tanker in the North Sea, Lincolnshire is beginning to see the impact. Clumps of tiny, molten pellets, known as "nurdles", are being washed up on its beaches, including in Skegness. From the top of the Giant Wheel on the resort's Pleasure Beach, which is due to reopen to the public on Saturday after the winter break, the scale of the issue is apparent: black mounds, of varying shapes and sizes, now pepper the golden beach level, people are inspecting them. Two coastguard officials stop to chat while teams from East Lindsey District Council begin to clear visitors to the beach are aware that the blackened material is believed to be from the cargo ship Solong, which crashed into the tanker Stena Immaculate on 10 seem unaware as they pick up the clumps of pellets, which were fused together by flames that engulfed both vessels following the incident off the East Yorkshire coast. Some are allowing their dogs to sniff the Davison, a local, tells me the arrival of the debris is "a bit concerning". He adds: "I'm surprised it's washed up this far south."Stuart Green, 68, another local, says the pellets "look just like fish eggs"."That could be a problem for the wildlife around here. It could also be dangerous for dogs."It's very upsetting. We have all the seals up at Gibraltar Point. Pup season has only recently ended."Nurdles are balls of plastic resin used in plastics production. Mr Green is holding a plastic bag containing several small clumps he has picked up on his morning walk, though officials have strongly advised people to leave the material alone. "I'm a volunteer in the RNLI shop and so felt some responsibility to help clear it up," he tells me. "The coastguard told me to put it next to the bins, not in it, because it stinks of fuel and they obviously don't want it to go up in flames if someone drops a cigarette end in there." The owners of the Solong have admitted the pellets, which were held in containers on board, were released because of the crash. On Monday HM Coastguard said some were beginning to wash up around The Wash – a large inlet of the North Sea stretching from just south of Skegness to near Hunstanton, in Turgoose, 72, who is walking his dog, says it was "inevitable" Lincolnshire would be next."We've been having some strong winds from the north-east over the past week," he tells me. "It was always going to wash up here." Christine Peters, 76, and her daughter Tracy Lear, 59, have parked their mobility scooters on a boardwalk next to a lifeguard lookout tower."It's disgusting, absolutely disgusting," says Ms Peters, shaking her head. "The weather is just starting to get better. It'll soon be Easter and this beach will be full of children."According to the authorities, the pellets are not toxic to humans. But Ms Lear adds: "It can't be healthy though, can it?"On sunny days like this, the mother and daughter come here to marvel at the seabirds that inhabit this coastline."I'm really worried about them eating this stuff and getting ill," says Ms share their concerns, warning wildlife, especially birds, could ingest the pellets and fall seriously ill. Nikkita Holland, 31, who is from Doncaster but holidaying at Butlin's, tells her young daughter to keep away from the clumps."It's quite shocking," she says. "I didn't know what it was. It doesn't look great." Further up the beach, I spot several dead seabirds. It is impossible to know if they had consumed the Simpson, 77, and his wife Gill, 70, have also noticed the dead birds. "We've counted three," says Mrs Simpson. "We don't usually see dead seabirds on this beach." Mr Simpson adds: "We thought something would wash up here."His wife was volunteering in the RNLI shop, close to the beach, when the crash happened."Everyone was running around all over the place," she recalls. Sharon Glenville, 60, who is walking her two dogs, tells me she thought the clumps were pieces of coal. Her face drops when I tell her what it is. "Injured seals, once recuperated, are released along this stretch of coastline," she says. "It's such a beautiful place."However, Ms Glenville tells me it could be far worse. "I thought there might have been oil spills," she says. Chris Morris is visiting from Lincoln with his metal detector."I'm worried about the wildlife and fish," he says. "I'm worried birds will mistake the pellets for food."The collision is believed to have claimed the life of Mark Angelo Pernia, a 38-year-old Filipino national and crew member of the Solong. He was posted as missing and presumed Motin, 59, of Primorsky in St Petersburg, Russia, the captain of the Solong, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter. He is due to appear before the Central Criminal Court in London on 14 April. What the authorities say... In a statement, East Lindsey District Council (ELDC) said: "ELDC's waste team are at Skegness beach now cleaning up plastic pellets (nurdles) and any other debris that has been found following the incident in the North Sea last week."Please remember that, whilst the risk to the public is low, dogs should be kept away from anything found to avoid it being ingested, and it should not be picked up or moved to restrict its spread."Thank you to all those who have reported debris along our coastline, the clean-up operation will continue over the coming days." Chief Coastguard Paddy O'Callaghan said: "The Solong and Stena Immaculate remain stable with salvage operations continuing."The counter-pollution retrieval operation remains ongoing, with HM Coastguard and other specialist counter-pollution assets continuing to assist this response. This includes supporting local authorities who are leading the onshore response in both Norfolk and Lincolnshire."Aerial surveillance flights continue to monitor both vessels and the retrieval operation."As the incident has now moved into the recovery phase, HM Coastguard has downgraded the assessment of the situation and no longer considers this to constitute a major incident. HM Coastguard will however continue to support the salvage and multi-agency retrieval operations while keeping the overall situation under review."Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust said: "Nurdles are small plastic pellets, which may have burnt together into larger masses. Unfortunately, the risks posed by nurdles increase when other pollutants become stuck to them. "We urge members of the public to avoid touching them if seen as they may have toxic pollutants stuck to them." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
