Karise McNamee - Paths with Purpose

04/06/2026

03/06/2026

27/05/2026

Before perimenopause, Angela hiked over 100 miles a month. “I was incredibly active,” she says. “I moved to the mountains so I could hike.” Then: “Man, oh man,” she says with a sigh. “Perimenopause wiped me out.”

With approval from her doctor, Angela began taking HRT for her symptoms, but it didn’t make a big enough dent. Then, a few months ago, Angela saw a social-media post from a woman who took daily anti-histamines (like Allegra, Claritin, or Zyrtec) plus Pepcid AC (a common antacid) for her perimenopause symptoms. Her results, as reported, sounded miraculous: no more brain fog, no more tossing and turning all night. Even her mood vastly improved. Angela, who is now 55, decided to try the regimen for herself.

“Women will go to their doctors and say, ‘I take Allegra and Pepcid and my PMDD symptoms go away. It’s like magic,’” says Zachary Rubin, an allergist and clinical immunologist, who has seen patients who take anti-histamines for these purposes for years. So far, Rubin says, these experiences are clinically unsupported. However, he notes, that does not mean it’s not working for anyone, and there are plausible reasons for why it might work.

Read Katie Heaney’s report on how a rumored “drugstore secret” for treating perimenopause and PMDD has gone viral — and if it really works: https://nymag.visitlink.me/OAPLAW

26/05/2026

26/05/2026

Learning more about perimenopause and menopause, including symptoms, management and treatment options, can help you feel prepared.

19/05/2026

Recently I had one of the most interesting conversations with an ICU nurse.

And firstly, can we all just take a moment to celebrate nurses? Nurturers, carers, incredibly intelligent humans who hold people’s hands on their worst days. Where would we be without them?

Anyway… the conversation completely stopped me in my tracks. She told me about a discussion between nurses that asked: “If a woman comes into hospital unconscious, in a coma, or unable to answer questions… is checking whether she has her period part of the routine assessment?”

And the overwhelming response was: no. NO? I sat there stunned, because my brain instantly went to: "What happens if she arrived on Sunday with a tampon in and by the following Sunday she still hadn’t woken up, but nobody had checked?"

Would she develop Toxic Shock Syndrome? Would anyone even know? I genuinely assumed this would automatically be on some kind of medical checklist, but apparently, often it’s not. It once again showed me just how many layers there are to menstruation that society still doesn’t think about.

Then the conversation got even more confronting. She told me she works in a private hospital where period products are NOT supplied, meaning women in ICU can literally be left free bleeding because there are no pads or tampons available. I was absolutely floored that these women are PAYING for private healthcare, yet still being left without the most basic dignity.

We talk about dignity all the time at Share the Dignity, but dignity should not stop at hospital doors. Menstruation doesn’t pause because you’re unconscious, or sick, or because the healthcare system forgot to plan for it.

And this is exactly why menstrual equity matters. Because until period products are treated as essential healthcare items everywhere - schools, workplaces, public spaces, prisons, sporting clubs and hospitals - women will continue to be overlooked in ways most people never even consider.

I am forever shocked by how many hidden gaps still exist around something half the population experiences.

And tell me honestly… if it were you lying there unconscious, would you want somebody to check?

19/05/2026