About Katherine

My name is Katherine (she/her), and I have lived in the Pacific Northwest region of Washington State for most of my life. This year, I passed the 50-year-old milestone.  I have been moving and training my body for over forty years, starting with ballet at the age of seven and continuing with self-driven workouts to this day. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts and over fifteen years of teaching experience. During my career, I have taught ballet for over a decade, as well as group fitness classes, including Les Mills, Yoga, and Pilates.
I am also a personal trainer. In 2023, I became a Certified Menopause Coaching Specialist and in June of 2024 I completed my certification as a Women's Coaching Specialist. 
 
My husband and I enjoy exploring the world through food and travel. I am passionate about supporting the arts, cooking, cold plunging, and helping others.

 

My Personal Journey

How women experience menstruation and menopause is unique to each woman.  Since the beginning of having my cycle, I had a difficult experience.  My mother told me my Grandmother, her mother, had a similar experience with her cycles.  I, like many women, past and present, was put on birth control to help level out my symptoms.  This helped for many years and allowed me to pursue and participate in an active life, studying dance (rigorously, in college for sometimes 7 hours a day) and, eventually, teaching ballet and fitness.  

A few years into my marriage, I took myself off birth control, not to get pregnant, but to give my body a break.  It didn’t take long for the severe dysmenorrhea (the diagnosis I received after my very first gynecological visit) to return.  To be completely honest, I believe I had some sort of undiagnosed condition, even though I underwent a pelvic ultrasound that came back with more or less “normal” results.  My symptoms did not fit the profile for endometriosis, but if I could take a guess, I would say it might have been Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).  I’m guessing, and of course, I could be wrong.

I was so tired of the monthly merry-go-round of extreme pain and other symptoms that I asked my OB/GYN what my options were. Since my husband and I did not want to have children, I chose to have a hysterectomy (keeping my ovaries) at 48 years old.  I believe it was the right choice for me.

Within four months of my hysterectomy, I experienced nearly every telltale symptom of menopause, with the exception of hot flushes. I saw a naturopath and took some recommended supplements.  About 6 months after that, the symptoms had mostly disappeared, so I stopped taking the supplements.   After that, I had some bloodwork done to see where my estrogen and progesterone hormone levels were. At the time of the test, they fell within the normal range, leading me to believe that my body was still producing a somewhat regular amount of hormones, probably because I kept my ovaries.  I am guessing (not a hypothesis from my physician) that the hysterectomy was a bit of a shock to my system, and my body needed to recalibrate itself.  Currently, I am experiencing mild menopause symptoms that are not very bothersome or disruptive to daily life (but it really depends on the day).