“I was horrified,” said Sarah McCoy Isaacs, who conceived her son through IVF.

The case itself involved a couple whose frozen embryos had been destroyed when a hospital patient removed them from tanks of liquid nitrogen and dropped them on the floor. The court ruled that the embryos should be considered children and thus protected by an 1872 state law that allows parents to sue over the death of a minor child. “Unborn children are ‘children under the Act,” the judges wrote in the majority opinion, “without exception based on developmental stage, physical location, or any other ancillary characteristics.”

What does that mean for IVF? Nothing good, says Dr. Ilana Ressler, a reproductive endocrinologist at Illume Fertility. “This means that a fertilized egg, or embryo, which is created through the IVF process and commonly cryopreserved or frozen until use, will have the same rights as a living person,” Ressler tells SheKnows. “Essentially, a microscopic group of cells, that has the potential for life, is being treated as having the same status as a living child. This will, unfortunately, severely limit the availability of modern medicine to the people of Alabama.”

In fact, it already has. Per NBC News, three facilities in Alabama have halted or restricted IVF treatments since the ruling was handed down. The University of Alabama at Birmingham health system is one of them, sharing the news in a statement that read, “we must evaluate the potential that our patients and our physicians could be prosecuted criminally or face punitive damages for following the standard of care for I.V.F. treatments.” The health system has will continue to perform egg retrieval, but has paused egg fertilization and embryo development services.

Those are two key parts of the IVF process, which begins by stimulating a patient’s ovaries with a medication that causes multiple eggs to develop, Ressler says. A doctor then removes (aka “retrieves”) the eggs and fertilizes them with sperm in a lab dish to create embryos.

The embryos are then transferred, usually one at a time, to the patient’s uterus while preserving the ones that are left behind. “The goal is generally to create multiple embryos in an IVF stimulation cycle, which can then be cryopreserved for future use,” Ressler explained. Patients can choose to transfer another embryo if the initial transfer isn’t successful or save their extra embryos for years down the road — a way of preserving their fertility and avoiding another round of egg retrieval.

The new ruling, though, “may essentially eliminate the ability for people in Alabama to cryopreserve embryos, as these treatments could lead to civil or criminal charges of health care providers,” Ressler says. If other states follow Alabama’s path, this could potentially affect millions of people, given how common infertility is: 1 in 6 couples globally deals with infertility, according to the World Health Organization, and Ressler says that one to two percent of births in the US are the result of IVF.

McCoy Isaacs’ son was one of them. “I didn’t have any idea how arduous it would be,” she says of IVF, which she began just a few months after marrying her husband. The process was complex as well; she remembers that the introductory, informational meeting alone took over an hour, and signing the documents and going over informed consent was another couple of hours.

McCoy Isaacs underwent five cycles of IVF, suffering one miscarriage in the process, before she became pregnant with and gave birth to her son, born on her 39th birthday. While the process wasn’t easy — McCoy Isaacs had to undergo a surgical abortion after the miscarriage to avoid becoming septic — she says she’s grateful that IVF exists, and that it worked for her and her husband. “My heart breaks for those who that isn’t the case for.”

After the Alabama ruling hit the Internet, McCoy Isaacs began sharing parts of her story online. Already, she says, she’s watched as IVF misinformation spreads, including the belief that embryos are selectively transferred or destroyed based on eugenics-style rationale, rather than their viability (likelihood to survive pregnancy). She’s also seen people suggest that patients simply “create one embryo and transfer it each cycle” instead of creating and preserving multiple embryos, which she calls an “absurd” suggestion. “In my cycles there were typically 8-9 eggs that resulted. Of those, about half made it to day 3 after fertilization. Of those, two might be a really good embryo, developing normally… The notion that there are dozens of viable embryos on ice is just completely wrong.”

Then there’s the idea that IVF is “somehow the easy way” to get pregnant. “I very much wish we didn’t have to undergo IVF,” McCoy Isaacs says. “It was the most difficult thing I’ve done in my life, among many hard things.”

McCoy Isaacs sympathizes with people in Alabama who are going through or considering IVF and who now find their world thrown into flux. “People who are ignorant are imposing their beliefs onto this process,” she says. “The path to a child via IVF (or IUI) is already so difficult. Making it harder is just cruel.”

Ressler echoes that sentiment. “I am saddened and upset by the Alabama ruling, as it is not a scientifically founded decision,” she says. “Similar to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, it feels that the country is taking a huge step backwards in regard to reproductive rights.“

Before you go, read about these celebrities who have shared their abortion stories:

If you’re helping a teen menstruator navigate those first few years of getting their period, you may still be working to stock your cabinets with the products that feel right for them and their body. As anyone who has been through their monthly visits knows, your exact combo of period products (from pads to tampons to menstrual cups to period panties) is something that takes a bit of trial and error to figure out. While your teen is experimenting with what works best for them, you might be on the lookout for some teen-friendly period products to help them out. Don’t worry, we’re here to help.

Since there are so many period products to choose from these days, it’s simultaneously easier to find a product that will actually feel good and harder to narrow down the overwhelming selection. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up a selection of teen-friendly products that range from practical and easily accessible drug store finds; to reusable, sustainable and understated choices for a discreet time of the month; to comfortable and totally non-intimidating options if the usual super-plus tampons feel a bit scary.

So if you’re in the market for an overview of teen-friendly period products, you’re in the right place. Read on for a few of our favorites and hopefully you’ll find something that’s the perfect fit.

A version of this story was published April 2020.

Preeclampsia is a prenatal high blood pressure disorder and the precursor to eclampsia, a high blood pressure condition that can cause seizures and contribute to heart disease, per Mayo Clinic. Symptoms of preeclampsia include high blood pressure, proteinuria (excess protein in urine), and organ damage including to the liver and kidneys. Careful monitoring and management can keep moms and fetuses safe when preeclampsia occurs, but if left untreated, the condition can also cause complications well into pregnancy and weeks after birth, some of which can be fatal.

While preeclampsia can affect any pregnant person, it is five times more likely to be fatal for Black women compared to white women, per the 2021 study. Those statistics are seriously concerning, which is why medical experts are working hard to address this crisis. In the last year, scientists have identified a new diagnostic test for preeclampsia and a potential new treatment. While research continues, speaking up and raising awareness about the condition is vital. The following celebrities have all had preeclampsia during pregnancy and are doing just that. Keep reading to see what they’ve said about their experiences with preeclampsia.

Mayo Clinic defines menopause as the end of a person’s menstrual cycles. It is typically diagnosed after 12 months without a menstrual period, and that transitional phase is called perimenopause. Menopause can occur in your 40s or 50s, but the average age in the United States is 51. It’s associated with a host of uncomfortable symptoms, from hot flashes to vaginal dryness to sleep issues. Some people opt to undergo hormone therapy, or HT, to ease the severity of their symptoms.

It bears repeating: Menopause is something that impacts every person with ovaries. It should not be a taboo topic, but since it affects women and AFAB people, it’s historically under-discussed and under-studied. Fortunately, candid conversations about reproductive health are becoming more commonplace, leading a growing number of people to speak out about their menopause journeys and advocate for better care.

Menopause does indicate the end of a person’s reproductive years, but it says nothing about their spark or vitality. Below, read up on sage advice, sharp insight, and personal anecdotes from celebrities who’ve experienced menopause firsthand.

One of the most confounding aspects of engaging with assisted reproductive technology is that there is no clear, defined path to build a family. It’s a white space, with thousands of nodes uncoverable through evaluations by reproductive endocrinologists (RE), diagnostics, procedures, and luck. When my husband and I started trying to build a family, we knew I had low levels of Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH), a hormone that can act as a proxy for the number of eggs a woman has remaining in her ovaries, her ovarian reserve. We quickly found ourselves in an RE’s office and decided to pursue in vitro fertilization (IVF) to have kids. 

IVF is a step-by-step process. At each stage medical professionals guide you carefully, but there is no roadmap, because each step determines the upcoming path. My experience of IVF was like a constantly twisting, unknown forest. I worked at a biopharmaceutical company and still found myself drifting uncertainly through that forest. After a setback like a poor egg retrieval count or a failed implantation, the emotional impact was significant. I was terrified by the possibility that I might not get pregnant, and being a data-driven person, the lack of evidence or assurance that I could – that I would – one day get pregnant, made the experience all the harder. I didn’t know at the time where to find a community of other women who were going through the same thing and could relate to my wild emotions.

Several years after walking into that first RE’s office, I had my first son. Today I have two boys and am now pregnant with our third baby. To create our family, I have done five egg retrievals and seven implantations. I am incredibly lucky. IVF was successful for me, and I know this is not the case for everyone. 

One major surprise I had was the minimal insurance coverage I received for IVF treatments, and how quickly that insurance coverage ends, often with the first egg retrieval – prior even to trying to implant an embryo. I was grateful to work at a company that provided me with commercial healthcare coverage options, as many women who need IVF to plan and build their families do not have commercial insurance options. Ultimately, my husband and I used our savings for these treatments, an option we were thankful to have. 

As we were trying for a third child, I met Daisy Robinton, co-founder and CEO of Oviva Therapeutics. Oviva is a category-defining biotechnology company that develops therapeutics to improve ovarian function and extend female healthspan. Oviva’s lead drug is an engineered form of the hormone AMH, currently being developed for increasing egg count in IVF. Later, it has the potential to be used for delaying the onset of menopause, and holding off on depleting the egg supply. The treatment is currently in preclinical research, and Oviva expects to apply for FDA approval to run clinical trials in humans. 

I was amazed by the drug’s potential. Should this drug be successful in clinical trials for IVF, and receive FDA approval for use, it has the ability to increase the number of eggs a woman gets in an egg retrieval process. That in turn has the potential for reducing the total number of cycles a woman like me, with low AMH, and others might need to go through to get enough eggs to move forward with a reasonable chance of success in IVF. Not to mention that each cycle costs thousands of dollars, and this could cut back on the amount of cycles needed and the total investment of IVF. That also has value when it comes to time: It translates into years more time with that future family.

I built my career in investment management and on the business side of drug development organizations. I joined Oviva as COO, giving me the opportunity to work on a product that could positively impact women who are also facing the same challenges I had in building a family, or those planning for the future. 

What I wish I knew about infertility when I started going through it 

Find community. Earlier in my infertility journey I wish I had a community of women undergoing similar fertility challenges. There is an organization called Conceive that is focused on changing fertility outcomes and connects women with fertility education, a fertility nurse and coach, and a tight-knit community of women who are on similar fertility paths. I needed something like this to feel understood by women who have the same fears, procedures, ups and downs as me (disclosure: I am an investor now in Conceive, having seen the incredible impact it has). 

Get a second opinion.  You’re not married to the first reproductive endocrinologist you meet; I saw one RE for over a year and didn’t feel comfortable with the path forward she suggested. I changed to another RE and have been working with him ever since. There are of course some logistical challenges to switching providers, like the time it takes to find and meet with a new RE, and the paperwork, but it’s absolutely worth considering to ensure that you feel comfortable with the specialist guiding your treatment.

Understand the out-of-pocket costs, as much as you can, upfront. Only a handful of states mandate any form of commercial insurance coverage for reproductive treatments, and many women do not have commercial healthcare insurance. To the extent you can, get a sense of the cost of each step in your process that you will need to pay for. I naively didn’t know how to ask the right questions about my own healthcare coverage and felt shocked by the flood of bills I received throughout my IVF process. It’s worth meeting with a counselor or other professional who is well-versed in these costs and what they may look like for you over time so that you can plan accordingly and make the best choices for your own situation as early as possible. 

Take a break when you need it. This can be a long, surprising, and grueling journey. Stepping back and going away for a few days or stopping procedures for a few weeks was something I needed emotionally and physically. I fought negative thoughts in my head that I was being wasteful with my time by taking a few weeks off, but I really needed it. Preserving your mental, emotional, and physical health is essential, and often taking a little break is the best way to support that.

Spend time with a therapist. If you have the resources, meeting with a therapist is helpful to is helpful to manage the wild emotions you might experience. It gives you space to open up about things that you might feel weird or embarrassed saying to your partner, your parents, or friends. With a therapist you can unleash all of your feelings unabashedly, and you don’t risk taking out your frustrations on your loved ones. Here, I learned from my mistakes.

Menopause is often referred to as the great ‘change of life,’ but it’s not something that happens overnight, where boom, you no longer have a period. The process of transitioning to menopause, called perimenopause, starts gradually with symptoms appearing years before you have your last menstrual cycle. For some people, the hormone-related symptoms, like irregular periods, mood changes, and hot flashes, may be a dead giveaway, but others may already be in perimenopause and not even realize it.

That’s because perimenopause looks different in every woman. One person might experience prominent hot flashes, while another might not have connected the dots between her sudden bouts of insomnia and perimenopause. Even famous people with access to the best medical care can miss the signs of perimenopause, says Dr. Bruce Dorr, an OB-GYN and senior medical advisor to Biote. For example, Oprah went three years thinking she had a heart condition with no improvements in her symptoms until she went on hormone replacement therapy. Turns out, the culprit was low estrogen.

You may be reading this article right now to get a sense of what’s going on in your body. Or maybe you’re at the age when people start seeing signs of perimenopause and want to get ahead of things. Regardless, it can feel daunting if you’re unsure of what’s to come. Understanding perimenopause symptoms will make you better prepared for this natural biological process.

What happens during perimenopause?

During perimenopause, the ovaries slow down production of estrogen, and don’t release as many eggs, as you slowly lose the ability to get pregnant. These hormonal changes can cause a number of physical and mental health symptoms as your body tries to adjust to this new normal.

Perimenopause symptoms typically happen between the ages of 45 and 55 — though some women may experience it as early as in their mid-30s. The average duration is about 7 years. However, depending on other factors such as smoking and racial background, some women have reported it lasting for up to 14 years. Perimenopause officially ends when when you’ve gone 12 months without a period, which officially signals menopause.

Many of the changes you experience during perimenopause are a result of decreasing estrogen, which along with progesterone rises and falls as you make your way to menopause.

What are the symptoms?

Everyone’s symptoms can be different, but one of the most tell-tale signs you’re entering perimenopause is irregular menstrual cycles. Since your estrogen levels are rising and falling at uneven levels, this results in shorter and longer periods. And while you may also see months where your menstrual cycle is skipped completely, there is still a possibility of getting pregnant during perimenopause. “During perimenopause, women may still have bleeding; however, they may start to have symptoms that are signaling a decrease in estrogen, such as hot flashes, night sweats, and changes in weight, among other symptoms,” says Dr. Jessica Shepherd, an OB-GYN and Flow council member. Here are some other symptoms you can expect.

Hot flashes and night sweats. Most perimenopause symptoms will look similar to the ones women experience during menopause. Dr. Dorr says women often report hot flashes that feel like a sudden warmth coming from the shoulders up. Chills and night sweats that are heavy enough to soak your pajamas and blankets often accompany hot flashes.

Unexplained weight gain. Perimenopause is a time when women start to move from a pear-shaped to an apple-shaped figure. Most women undergoing perimenopause gain about five to ten pounds. This is because estrogen helps regulate metabolic health, so when it slows down, your metabolism does too. The excess calories that are not processed are more likely to be stored as fat in the abdomen area. 

Indirectly, women may experience weight gain during this time because they have little energy to exercise. The fall of estrogen causes a hormone imbalance that ends up affecting the adrenal and thyroid-producing hormones, which regulate energy.

Sexual changes. Fluctuations in sexual behavior are another sign of perimenopause. Estrogen is needed to keep your vagina lubricated. With falling levels, there’s less blood flow to the vagina resulting in vaginal dryness and potentially painful sex. Apart from the pain, perimenopause can zap your sex drive. Reduced estrogen levels may lessen the desire to have sex and make it more difficult to get sexually aroused. The unintended weight gain and trouble sleeping may also dull any desire to have sexual intercourse if people feel especially tired or self-conscious about their body image, says Dr. Dorr.

Brain fog. You may have trouble thinking clearly, concentrating, and memory problems. This is normal, promise. The fuzzy-headed sensation is the result of hormonal changes and the effects of sleep deprivation, another indicator of perimenopause.

Reducing perimenopause symptoms

There’s a lot you can do from a diet and lifestyle perspective to reduce your perimenopause symptoms. These are some places to start:

Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Regular sleep can help with the brain fog women experience during perimenopause. Though with night sweats, insomnia, and stress, this is easier said than done. Treating menopause symptoms through hormone therapy or other treatments can help you get a good night’s sleep. Sticking to a regular sleep schedule and not using electronics 30 minutes before bed can improve your chances of sleep.

Reduce your coffee and soda intake. There is research that linked caffeine with worsening vasomotor symptoms. This includes more severe hot flashes and night sweats. Caffeine also stimulates the body and makes it harder to fall asleep, adds Dr. Dorr.

Diet. Eating a fiber-rich diet can boost a healthy metabolism and potentially avoid the weight gain that often occurs during perimenopause. Since bones get weaker during perimenopause, women should consider adding more calcium-rich foods such as dairy products, almonds, and leafy vegetables.

Exercise. Staying in shape is a must when going through perimenopause. Aerobic activities such as a brisk walk around the park, biking, or dancing can boost your cognition and burn body fat. Mixing your routine up with strength training two or three times a week will further help rev up your metabolism along with strengthening bones and muscles to avoid serious injuries from falls. Exercise can also make you tired enough to fall asleep at night.

When to see a doctor

Women should be proactive and start discussions with their healthcare providers in their 40s, even before symptoms begin, Dr. Shepherd says. Doing so could make the perimenopause journey more manageable. “Noticing when the symptoms of perimenopause are beginning should be an important part of the conversation so that it provides solutions as well as comfort during this transition,” she says.

If you’re unsure whether or not your symptoms are related to perimenopause, it doesn’t hurt to get a second opinion from a medical professional. Just make sure it’s someone trained in menopausal care.

About “80 percent of residency programs that are training OB-GYNs don’t have any education in menopause, and for the majority of the 20 percent of programs remaining, that education is only elective,” says Dr. Dorr. He recommends asking your doctor what they know about hormone replacement therapy and finding a new one if that’s something they don’t prescribe. A menopause specialist would do a physical check-up including taking a medical history of your last few menstrual cycles and when your symptoms first began. They may also perform a blood test to measure your hormone levels.

Seeing a doctor for perimenopause is also helpful if you’re not finding relief on your own or the symptoms become so severe they affect your quality of life. Your healthcare provider may recommend systemic estrogen therapy. This hormone treatment — which includes low-dose birth control pills, skin patches, gel, or cream — can help manage the discomfort that comes with night sweats and hot flashes. The vaginal ring and cream have also helped with finding relief against vaginal dryness.

“If your quality of life is suffering, there are different options out there,” adds Dr. Dorr. “If you’re not exercising anymore, if you’re not having sex anymore, or if you’re not sleeping right, those are all signs that you should be seeking professional help now.”

Take it from LeAnn Rimes. The country singer, who’s long been open about her health and experience with aging, took to Instagram this week to share a health scare she recently went through following an abnormal Pap smear.

Several months ago, Rimes wrote, she had an annual Pap smear that came back with abnormal results. In fact, Rimes shares, “I’ve had abnormal Paps since I was 17,” but through regular Pap smears and colposcopies (a procedure to “closely examine your cervix, vagina and vulva for signs of disease,” per Mayo Clinic), Rimes’ doctors “have been keeping an eye on any cellular changes that could be taking place.”

Rimes’ latest abnormal Pap and a recent colposcopy revealed she has high grade cervical dysplasia, a precancerous condition that occurs when abnormal cells grow on the surface of the cervix, according to Cleveland Clinic. Rimes and her doctor decided to undergo a Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (aka LEEP) to remove the “high grade, abnormal, pre-cancerous cells,” Rimes writes. Rimes elected to be under anesthesia for the procedure — a step not usually taken she says, but one she chose because “I’ve had enough trauma in my life already, so I prefer to be out and comfortable. That, my friends, is advocating for your overall, mental wellness and comfort and I HIGHLY recommend it!”

Rimes described it as a “minor surgery,” but one she wanted to share as a reminder “to get our annual screenings in order to catch changes… early on.” She pointed out that early-stage cervical cancer usually doesn’t involve symptoms, which means that “annual screenings and early detection can be lifesaving.”

Rimes also explained why she wanted to use her platform to spark these kinds of conversations around women’s wellness: to “take the ewww factor out of talking about vaginas and put the power back in our hands, to be able to take the best care of our bodies that we can.”

As someone who’s also dealt with psoriasis and mental health issues, Rimes said she’s always “been open about my health challenges” and it doesn’t look like she’s planning to change any time soon — which is great to hear. “Ladies, please don’t put off getting your annual pap,” Rimes emphasized. (Note that while Pap smears were previously recommended every year, the new recommendations are for every three years, depending on your health history, per the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.) Rimes added, “My men, too… make sure you get your annual physical, minus the pap smear!”

Before you go, read about more stars who have opened up about their health conditions:

On Jan 12, the Oscar-winning actress shared a photoshoot, followed by facts in her new Instagram post. She posted this poignant collaboration with the caption starting by saying, “Today is the day! My @respin family and I are intentionally rē-framing our focus to speak to women along our path of menopause. My goal is to empower women to embrace this natural transition and become inspired by the eternal beauty that comes with it. 🤍”

She added, “Rē-spin menopause with us as we work to release the stigma surrounding the inevitable. Head over to respin.com as we discover new ways to make our natural lives greater ✨”

In the post, we start with a snapshot of Berry showing off her killer physique while donning a plunging white dress, letting her hair and confidence flow. Then, we get into the facts, education people by reminding them that “Until 1993, only men were used in clinical studies on menopause” and “Only 13% of doctors understand the menopausal body.”

in the post, we also get some need-to-know tidbits such as “Disproportionately black and brown women suffer from menopause and a greater way,” and “The more we know, the more we can prevent!” (Say it louder for the people in the back!) We then end with a video of Berry talking about the importance of destigmatizing, talking about menopause and joking about how people are going to be sick of her talking about it, but she’s never going to stop!

Now, in case you didn’t know, Berry’s Biggest priority isn’t making another beloved film; it’s about destigmatizing menopause. In Dec 2023, she spoke to Capitol Hill about menopause legislation, and recently did an interview with Cory Booker about this issue.

“Every woman, if you live long enough, will go through menopause. And most women spend the longest period of their life in their pre-menopausal or menopausal years, like three decades,” Berry said. “..I’ve gotten involved to try to de-stigmatize it, to let us understand that when we reach this time in our life, these are our best years. So to think that we should pack it up or we should not pay attention to all of the things that are going on with our body, I think is a, is a real problem. And that’s what most women do.”

Our mothers and grandmothers waited and watched for menopause. But our generation is used to having more knowledge of our bodies and control over our health. It’s little wonder, then, that we’re embracing at-home menopause tests in an effort to better understand which stage of menopause we’re in.

Since menopause is defined by having gone 12 months without a period, you’d think that we’d at least know when we were there. But in my own case, I was confused. Yes, I went from my 49th birthday to my 50th one with no bleeding, so my ob-gyn ordered a blood test and agreed I was “probably” menopausal. Except that after my milestone birthday, each time I got a COVID shot, I’d spot a little for a few months. So was I or wasn’t I? 

Yes, I know my ob-gyn should be able to answer that. But few ob-gyns are well-trained in menopause, a fact now abundantly clear to me. I replaced the one who figured I was “probably” menopausal with a new one who just looked at me like I was lying liar about my spotting — and who took zero notes about it. Nor did she offer a blood test. So you can see why, when I learned that there was a new Clearblue Menopause Stage Indicator test that just required me to pee on a stick, I felt like it was totally worth $20. Maybe the test would be definitive in a way my doctors were not. In the end I got one for free at an event for the brand. Given my doctor’s weak “diagnosis” I figured there was zero harm in seeing what Clearblue had to tell me.

What you need to know about using the Clearblue Menopause Stages Kit

First thing: This is not an immediate-gratification menopause kit. The test is designed to test levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) five times over the course of 10 days. The soonest you start is the morning after you acquire the test, because it’s best to pee on one of the sticks when you first wake up, per the brand directions.

It’s critical to also be working with the Clearblue ME app (iOS, Android). The app is where you get your answer about your menopause stage — it’s not going to magically appear on one of the sticks. In other words, though you use the five sticks in the kit like you use pregnancy tests, you’re not going to get a binary pregnant/not pregnant kind of answer on one. You’re not menopausal/not menopausal. There are four possible stages.

Other important directions from Clearblue: It’s best to test when you’re not having your period. You shouldn’t use it if you’re breastfeeding or if you’ve had a hysterectomy. Oh and if you’re currently using any hormonal birth control, including an IUD with hormones like the Mirena that I used for years, you’re not going to get an accurate read and shouldn’t buy this test. But you might not know that until you buy the test and are setting up the app. Which leads me to…

Setting up the Clearblue ME app

You might be eager to get started with the sticks but you need to set up the app. Like seemingly everything in our lives, this app requires a username and password. It also needs your birthdate, height, and weight, and whether you’re on hormonal birth control or hormone replacement therapy (if yes to either, the test is not for you). 

Then you answer a question about your periods: Have you seen a difference of 7 days or more between the length of one cycle and the next at least twice in the last year? Or have you not had a period in 12 months? I checked off that last one because my spotting doesn’t really count as a period. But then I felt like an idiot, because I know not having a period means I am menopausal, so did I just diagnose myself with menopause? But anyway…here were my directions to start.

Taking the Clearblue Menopause Stage Indicator Test

This is just my reality, as a “probably” menopausal woman: I wake up in a fog and stumble to the bathroom and pee before I’ve given a thought to anything in the world. So on the first day I was supposed to take the test, I forgot. No worries, the app reassured me, you can just start tomorrow instead. Which was fine, but I realized this whole project was going to be about two weeks from the day I acquired the box to the day I was going to get an answer.

The next morning I remembered to pee on one of the five sticks. They really do work just like a pregnancy test — you hold one in your urine stream, or pee into a cup and dip a test in. Then you lie the test flat and wait. With this kit, you have to read the result after 5 minutes and dismiss anything after 8 minutes. It’s a very specific window of three minutes when you’re supposed to decide if your test is positive or negative. I found it annoying, because if you’ve just gotten up and want to go back to bed, 5 minutes feels like an eternity. But you can’t go back to sleep and check the test in an hour, because by then it’s void. You have to wait, and hope you don’t freak out your partner or your kids if they catch you staring at what looks like a pregnancy test. (It’s really hard to do this test without your family knowing, as it turns out.)

I expected my test to have two pink lines, like on the box. I’m 52 now and probably menopausal. But my test came back looking faint. The second line was so very light I thought I might be hallucinating. I know that a faint second line on a pregnancy test = pregnant, and a faint second line on a COVID test = COVID. With this, a faint second line on the Menopause test meant that I was to check off “positive” in the app. But my head was full of doubts. If we’re measuring FSH level, shouldn’t the faintness of the line mean something? 

Standing at the bathroom sink at 6:30am, bleary-eyed, I couldn’t help but wonder: AM I seeing two lines?

I did the journalist cheat and emailed a picture of the test to a representative from Clearblue, to ask if what I saw counted as a positive. Yes, they said. You have two lines.

Cut to 10 (or more) days later

Like a teen who has to remember their gym uniform every other day, I was not perfect with remembering this testing process every other day. I missed a morning again, and the app rolled with it, just bumping my test day.

But there wasn’t nothing to do on my off days. The Clearblue ME app is also a place to log any menopausal symptoms. You can rate a whole spate of things as low, medium or high, or not rate them at all if you’re not experiencing them, symptoms such as anxiety, cold sweats, headaches and heart palpitations. I had to kind of laugh at weight gain (are we talking about over the last day, month, year or decade?). But I went ahead and put in that I had medium hot flashes. “Tiredness” seemed so vague, as did “low mood,” but at any rate the list got me thinking of things to bring up at my next doctor’s appointment. That’s the whole point of the symptoms log: To get you talking more fully with your doctor about all that you feel.

Meanwhile every test I took had the same very faint second pink line. I dutifully reported them all as positive, so my end result looked like this:

No surprise, the app announced at the end that my “most likely” stage was postmenopause. It wasn’t any different than my doctor telling me I was “probably” menopausal. Clearblue makes it abundantly clear that only a healthcare professional can offer the confirmed, clinical diagnosis. My results:

If a user gets all negative tests, they are presumably premenopausal. I am not actually sure how the app determines if a person is in early perimenopause or late perimenopause — that was one of the questions I was left wondering. And it’s a big question, since plenty of my friends are still getting periods and wondering when they will finally end. Many other women are trying to calculate whether they can get pregnant during perimenopause. But this kit can’t predict your ovulations nor can it tell you if you’re near the period finish line. It can only guess at your stage, and each stage can last many years.

I was also curious about what doctors think of these at-home kits. So…

I Asked a Doctor What She Thinks About At-Home Menopause Kits

Heidi Flagg, MD, is a medical advisor to Flow and a menopause specialist. Dr Flagg told me, “I am not a fan of the tests. I’d rather people come talk to me and then we work through it together.” Doctors can measure FSH level via blood tests several months apart, Dr. Flagg said, to come up with a clinical diagnosis. 

I made my case for my own situation, where two different ob-gyns did not offer me two blood tests, though one gave me one test. Dr. Flagg acknowledged that, in today’s insurance climate, it’s true that doctors are not reimbursed for spending a lot of time with patients and might not show interest in deeply investigating a healthy woman’s menopausal stage, probably especially if they’re done having kids. But, Dr. Flagg said, people like me who are trying to diagnose their menopausal stage with an at-home test might end up with either unnecessary fears or unwarranted confidence.

“I know that people want data, and they want predictability, and they want some control,” Dr. Flagg said. “But genetics are at play. It’s not as simple as just an FSH test. There’s just a lot that goes into the formula that gives us a real prediction of when you’ll run out of your ovarian reserve entirely.”

Which reminded me that many women will be taking a menopause test because they’re wondering if they can still get pregnant. It’s so critically important that women get accurate answers. Dr. Flagg offered some future reassurance along those lines, saying that there’s currently a lot of research money being poured into being able to more accurately predict when menopause will begin for a woman.

Until then, there’s no crystal ball. And Dr. Flagg cautioned against assuming that your menopause journey will be the same as your mom’s — genetics play a part, but maybe only about 60 percent of a role, she said. Your best bet for answers should be your doctor. And then there’s an at-home test such as the Clearblue Menopause Stage Indicator, which might give you some ideas and leave you with some questions that you can bring to your doctor for your next conversation.

One aspect of your health that pregnancy affects is your pelvic floor, an area (if we’re being honest with each other) you may not even have heard of before. Simply put, your pelvic floor is a set of muscles and tissues that support your pelvis and all the organs in it, like your bladder, bowel, and internal reproductive organs, per the Cleveland Clinic. That puts it right in the region that’s doing a lot of heavy lifting during pregnancy and childbirth, and your pelvic floor can change quite a bit during that process.

And that’s true no matter how you give birth, says Dr. Rachel Gelman, pelvic floor physical therapist and owner of Pelvic Wellness and Physical Therapy. “Regardless of mode of delivery, a person can experience pelvic issues, due to the physiological changes that occur over the course of pregnancy,” Dr. Gelman tells SheKnows.

What postpartum pelvic floor issues are most common?

Your pelvic floor pays a big role throughout pregnancy and childbirth, and anyone who’s postpartum may experience some major changes, Dr. Gelman says. For one thing, you experience a dramatic decrease in estrogen, a hormone that’s “essential for vulvar and vaginal health,” during the postpartum period. “As a result,” Dr. Gelman says, “people may experience vaginal dryness, pain with sex, vulvar pain, urinary urgency, frequency, dysuria, or incontinence.”

For those who have or attempt a vaginal delivery, there’s also the “amount of pressure and bearing down on the pelvic floor,” Dr. Gelman says, which “can put the birthing person at  risk for a pelvic organ prolapse,” meaning that the muscles supporting your pelvic organs become loose or weak. Perineal tearing is also a possibility, which can lead to scar tissue and pain at the vaginal opening. If the tear extends to the anal sphincter, Dr. Gelman says, you might also experience dyspareunia (aka painful sex), fecal urgency, or fecal incontinence (not being able to hold in your poop). Some people may also experience “stretch or compression injuries” to their pelvic nerves, which can impact the pelvic muscles, or injuries to the coccyx (the triangular bone at the base of your spine), Dr. Gelman notes.

A c-section can come with risks as well. The surgical incision made during the procedure “cuts through many layers,” Dr. Gelman says, “and can still impact the pelvic floor muscles and nerves that travel through the abdomen to the pelvis.”

5 tips for your postpartum pelvic floor

Most new moms are recommended to do Kegel exercises for their pelvic floor, which involves repeatedly tightening and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles. And while Kegels can help to strengthen the pelvic floor, they’re “not always the best solution,” Dr. Gelman notes.

If you’re experiencing postpartum pelvic floor issues, here’s what to do:

See a pelvic floor specialist. Expert guidance is essential when it comes to managing postpartum pelvic floor issues, so make sure to set up an appointment with a pelvic floor specialist or pelvic floor physical therapist once your doctor has cleared you to do so. You’ll get an assessment and start an individualized program, Dr. Gelman says, which will address what your body actually needs — in a way that just doing a few Kegels every day may not.

Consider trying an estrogen cream. “I also recommend talking to your healthcare provider about a low dose topical estrogen cream and see if they think it is appropriate,” Dr. Gelman says. “Not everyone needs it, but for some people it can be very helpful.”

Use a Squatty Potty and a bidet. “Bowel movements postpartum can be a struggle, so set yourself up for success,” Dr. Gelman says. A tool like a Squatty Potty puts your body in the proper position for healthy pooping, which is important for pelvic floor health, while a bidet cleans up afterwards without the need for irritating toilet paper.

Do gentle breathing exercises. Try inhaling while counting to four, holding for four, exhaling for four, holding for four, and then repeating, making sure to breathe deeply and slowly into your belly. You can also experiment with other easy breathwork techniques. “It seems simple,” Dr. Gelman says, “but breathing properly helps the pelvic floor move.”

Prioritize rest. “Rest is key,” Dr. Gelman says. She recommends staying hydrated, eating nourishing foods (like bone broth), and going on slow walks if you can to help your body heal in a gentle, holistic way.

Give yourself grace. Pelvic floor issues can be frustrating and isolating, but Dr. Gelman notes that they’re very common. Remember that your body will heal on its own timeline, even if it feels slow. “Society has put a message out the everyone needs to ‘bounce back’ and that healing should be done at six weeks,” she says, but a nine-month pregnancy “warrants at least nine months to recovery.” Factoring in delivery adds “another three months at least,” Dr. Gelman continues, “so I tell everyone to give themselves at least a year to recover from pregnancy.” That goes for your pelvic floor and everything else, too.

Before you go, shop our favorite products to get you through pregnancy: