For seven years, a metro Atlanta wife and mother of five says she knew something wasn't right with her body, but it took years and a new doctor to finally get answers that changed her life.

Jen Stone is a stay-at-home mom who makes time for fitness, often working out alongside her husband, Greg. On this day, she's exercising alone at an all-female gym in Gwinnett County, something she says has become part of learning to take care of herself.

"You have to find the time for yourself," Stone said. "That's what I've been learning over the past couple of years."

Stone says for years her body sent warning signs that were hard to ignore. One of the most troubling symptoms, she said, was painful intercourse with her husband. When she brought her concerns to her doctor, she says she was repeatedly told nothing was wrong.

"My previous OB-GYN had been gaslighting me about the symptoms and the things that I was feeling," Stone said. "Telling me that I wasn't going through what I was going through."

The symptoms continued to pile up: hot flashes, irritability, joint pain, hair thinning, and brain fog. Stone says the physical and emotional toll followed her home and affected her family life.

"It wasn't because I was trying to make them suffer," she said. "It was because I didn't have the knowledge of what it is I was supposed to be feeling."

Her search for answers eventually led her to a new doctor and a diagnosis she says brought both relief and tears.

"When I found out, at 38, I cried in her office," Stone said.

Dr. Sherika Newman, founder of Doctor in the Family, says Stone's experience is far from rare. Newman explains that Stone was diagnosed with perimenopause, the stage before menopause when hormone levels begin to change.

"We're recently discovering that perimenopause can start in your mid-30s," Newman said.

For Black women, Newman says the experience can be even more challenging. Studies show Black women may remain in perimenopause for about 10 years, compared to six to eight years for others, and symptoms can look different.

"One uncommon symptom is frozen shoulder," Newman said. 

Stone says the biggest improvement has been at home. She now speaks openly with her children, both her daughters and her sons, about perimenopause and what her body has gone through.

"I'm an open book with my kids," she said. "I want them to be informed and to be able to make informed decisions as life progresses for them."

After years of struggling without answers, Stone says she hopes sharing her story helps break a cycle for future generations.

Dr. Newman says there are now more than 70 known symptoms associated with perimenopause, which can be physical, emotional or both, and she encourages women to advocate for themselves if something doesn't feel right.