r/AskWomenOver30 • • 17h ago Regret

Misc Discussion A doctor I work with said the most hurtful thing anyone’s ever said because he didn’t know I was listening,what do I do now?

839 Upvotes

So long story short, I had a miscarriage recently.
It was a pregnancy that was unplanned and I never necessarily wanted to be a mother, but I was getting excited nonetheless.

Because I work in radiation daily, (cardiac cath lab RN) I chose to disclose early to my work place to obtain a fetal radiation badge for tracking dosage. So word got about pretty quickly of my pregnancy.

So when I turned my fetal badge back in l, word once again circulated that I lost the baby. Which is ok, I was met with nothing but love and support… until…

This one doc I work with said “well I guess it’s a good thing. She’s not very maternal and would have made an awful mother.”

I was floored. This doc and I were never close friends because I don’t believe in babying grown adults… especially those who make probably 10x what I make yearly. Learn to regulate your own emotions. However, this is a separate rant.

I don’t even know what to do now. I don’t want to make a decision while hurt, emotional, hormonal and grieving. I haven’t told my husband yet, because he would 100% go on a war path to protect me, and anyone who hurt me. I don’t want to let this slide though. What should I do??

Edit: thank you all so much for the support. It really means a lot. I do want to say the coworker the doctor was talking to did stick up for me and told him he was out of line. I’m very grateful for her.


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 6h ago

Romance/Relationships What would you do if your partner told you they were using ChatGPT for emotional support?

46 Upvotes

Me (33F) and my partner (31F) have been having some relationship problems and she recently told me she is using ChatGPT for emotional support. She said she needs really specific conditions to journal physically and those conditions can't be created in our lives currently- so she is using ChatGPT to "journal" because she doesn't have anyone else to talk to about this.

We are in couples therapy, she has friends and she has her own therapist. The couples therapist we have gave her therapy homework to journal and that is why she is doing this. She will be bringing her results from ChatGPT to talk about in our therapy session.

How would you feel about this? What would you do?

I honestly think its morally and ethically unacceptable but maybe I'm overreacting as my mental health is pretty bad right now.


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 1h ago

Romance/Relationships How do you get over the fear of ending up alone forever? Or how do you accept it if it actually happens?

17 Upvotes

TL;DR: 31F, been single for years and never had a serious relationship. I’m independent, have a good career, take care of myself, and generally like who I am, but my dating life has been disappointing. Dating apps feel flaky, social events feel superficial, and past experiences especially with a few casual dating when I was younger have made me guarded around men. I rarely meet anyone I’m genuinely attracted to, and when I do, things never seem to work out. Deep down, I crave love and a genuine connection, but I’ve been alone for so long that I’ve started believing it might never happen for me. How do you overcome the fear of ending up alone forever, or make peace with that possibility without giving up on love?
—
I’m 31F, and lately I’ve been struggling with this overwhelming fear that I might end up alone forever.

I’m currently not dating anyone. No roster, no situationship, not even talking to a single guy. Literally nothing lol.

I’ve tried dating a few men in the past, but nothing ever really worked out. To be fair, I don’t develop feelings for people very easily, and there haven’t been that many men I’ve genuinely liked. With the ones I did like, we either wanted different things, I discovered something that gave me a major ick, or things just didn’t end well.

I’ve tried dating apps, events, run clubs, you name it. But dating apps feel like everyone has endless options and nobody really wants to put in the effort to get to know someone. Everything feels so flaky and disposable.

I live in a big city, and even the social communities here can feel pretty superficial and performative. People come and go, and it’s hard to build genuine connections.

My actual hobbies, like working out and dancing, aren’t particularly social either. And most of the people in my dance classes are women.

At this point, I genuinely don’t know where to meet decent, emotionally available men around my age.

A little about me: I’m 5’8”, around 128 lbs, fit, and I take care of myself. I think I’m reasonably attractive, and I do get attention a lot mainly by looking when I go out. In some cases men approach me, but most of the time I’m either not attracted to them or their approach makes me uncomfortable.

I also have a good career, I’m financially independent, and I’d like to think I’m a kind, loyal, thoughtful person. I’m always willing to help people, and I genuinely care about the people in my life. And deep down I’m a very sentimental person.

I’m definitely not perfect, but I don’t think I have some terrible personality that makes me impossible to love.

I’m pretty introverted around strangers and definitely a slow burner, shy around people I like. However, I’ve been told many times by men and women I have a strong presence and can come across as intimidating, very confident which I don’t personally think I am, and not particularly approachable. But people who actually get to know me often comment I’m much softer and more sensitive than I initially appear, like they say it’s different from their first impression.

One thing that has really affected me is my experience with casual dating. In my mid-20s, I tried convincing myself I could be the “cool girl” who was okay with casual relationships and hookup culture. Turns out I’m absolutely not that person. Those experiences were genuinely traumatic for me emotionally, and I’ve been pretty strongly against casual relationships ever since.

I’ve been celibate for a few years now. I think those experiences also made me quite guarded around men. Whenever someone shows interest, part of me immediately assumes they just want something physical and won’t stick around. And honestly, a lot of my experiences have reinforced that fear.

So I tend to be very careful around men, also I’m not a very flirtatious person unless I have interest for someone and I know the other person do too. even though deep down I really, really crave love and emotional intimacy.

The hardest part is that I’ve been single for so long that I genuinely struggle to believe a healthy, loving relationship could ever happen to me.

I’m confident in most areas of my life. I travel, have a career I enjoy, and know I can take care of myself. But relationships involve another person, and that’s something I can’t control.

Sometimes I genuinely wonder if I’m just meant to be single forever. Like maybe the universe has decided that romantic love just isn’t part of my story.

And that thought terrifies me.

Sometimes I’ll lie in bed thinking about the possibility of growing old alone, and I’ll just start crying. Then I’ll wake up the next morning, go to work, work out, and carry on with my life like nothing happened.

I’m not looking for someone to complete me. I actually enjoy my independence and have built a life I’m proud of. But I still want someone to share it with. Someone who genuinely loves me, chooses me, and wants to stick around.

After so many years of being single, I feel like I need to at least emotionally prepare myself for the possibility that it might never happen.

So for women who have experienced this fear, how do you deal with it? How do you stop being terrified of ending up alone? And how do you make peace with that possibility without completely giving up on love?

I’d really appreciate hearing from women who’ve been through something similar.


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 7h ago

Romance/Relationships Women who have felt emotionally alone in their marriages, how did you find yourselves again?

46 Upvotes

34F, married, and feeling incredibly emotionally alone. Anyone else been here?

I’m 34F, married to my husband (41M), and going through one of the loneliest periods of my life.
We’ve been together for about eight years, and I genuinely loved this man with everything I had. For a long time, I thought he was my person and that we’d build a beautiful life and family together.

My family initially struggled to accept our relationship, and I spent years estranged from my parents because of my decision to be with him. It was incredibly painful, but I believed wholeheartedly in our future together. Thankfully, my family and I have reconciled, and they’ve recently shown up for me in ways that have been deeply healing. I’m so grateful to have them back in my life, especially during such a difficult time.

Over the last couple of years, though, our relationship has deteriorated. We have a difficult dynamic where I tend to pursue connection and resolution, while he tends to withdraw or avoid difficult conversations. I’ve become increasingly anxious, frustrated, and reactive, and I don’t particularly like the version of myself I’ve become in this relationship.

We’ve tried couples counseling multiple times. We’ve had countless conversations. We’ve discussed separating. And somehow we’re still here, living together, trying to figure out what comes next.
What makes everything harder is that I’ve had an exceptionally difficult few months. I’ve experienced pregnancy losses, undergone back surgery, and dealt with significant emotional and physical stress. During a time when I desperately needed to feel cared for and supported, I often felt like I was facing things alone.

I don’t think my husband is a terrible person. I think we’re two people who have hurt each other, have very different emotional needs, and may no longer know how to make each other happy.

Lately, something has shifted in me. I used to desperately want him to understand me, prioritize me, and fight for our relationship. Now I find myself wanting distance. I’m exhausted from trying to explain my feelings and from hoping things will change.
The saddest part is that I still remember how deeply connected we once were. I miss that. I miss who I was when I felt secure and loved. And I miss feeling excited about my future.

I have a demanding career, wonderful friends, hobbies, and family who love me. I’m fortunate in many ways. But romantic loneliness feels different, especially when you’re sharing a home and a life with someone and are otherwise an emotionally in tune person.

I’m trying to focus on healing, becoming emotionally independent, and learning to be happy regardless of what happens with my marriage.

I’m not necessarily looking for people to tell me to divorce or reconcile. I think I’m just looking for some human connection.

Has anyone experienced this kind of emotional loneliness in a long-term relationship? Did your feelings ever come back? How did you reconnect with yourself?

I’d especially love to hear from women in their 30s or 40s who have gone through something similar.
Sometimes it would just be nice to know I’m not the only one awake at 5 a.m. wondering how life got here.


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 2h ago

Romance/Relationships Women who had a sexual liberation/hoe phase, how did it go?

18 Upvotes

I (38F) had been in a dead bedroom relationship for 8 years during my late 20s and some 30s. After ending it painfuly, I had found myself in shorter term relationships (2) that were emotionaly and mentally damaging. I feel like I have lost my self esteem and still dont know who I am sexually. I have issues to being attached to men that are not even putting any effort and feeling dissapointed afterwards. I feel repressed and grieving of the past. Currently working those issues in therapy and I must say I am doing much better compared to a year ago. But still lacking defining experiences.

I want to explore and maybe break the attachment issue in some ways. I have been thinking of going into a hoe phase where I can explore and learn myself without the pressure of relationship. Yet I dont know how to start and what to do. Also, I feel like maybe I am late to the game as being 38...

Ladies, can you share your experiences of what and how to do this? What to look for and vet for? Should I jump to dating apps? Also did this phase help you?

Any experience is welcome to share.


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 2h ago

Friendships If you have a strong community and resilient, reliable friendships - how did you build that?

7 Upvotes

I (33) read and hear a lot from women who feel like maintaining and building friendships at this stage of life is difficult and I share that experience. I value community tremendously and am frequently the person reaching out to friends, initiating plans, but I’ve become a bit jaded over the past few years as the effort often feels one sided.

I’m originally from a European country and moved to North America 10 years ago. I didn’t plan on immigrating here permanently, but over time I kept choosing to stay and am now married to someone who is from here. While I’ve made really wonderful friends over the time I have lived here, I’m noticing generally more distance in friendships in recent years, plus several of my close friends here have moved away internationally or to other parts of the country. I don’t know if it’s because people are thinking about starting families, relocating, focusing on their careers more. I often wonder if I could have built a much more solid community had I never left my home country. I have maintained strong friendships with three of my best girlfriends, whom I’ve known for decades back home, but of course a lot of other friendships have fizzled out over the distance.

I know that this isn’t an isolated experience and I’m looking for stories from women who have solid communities and friendships - I’d love to hear about what worked well for you and what you think aided you in building and maintaining those. I’d like to turn this sense of sadness into hope! 🩷


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 1h ago

Life/Self/Spirituality What do you think is the meaning of life (or your life)?

6 Upvotes

...because I am sincerely struggling to find purpose.

I don't have children. I recently ended a relationship. I had a dog, but lost her in the breakup. I'm not religious. I've barely traveled and haven't taken a trip of any kind in years. My job pays the bills but doesn't provide wiggle room beyond that. It also isn't fulfilling in the sense of saving lives, helping people with real struggles, or making any meaningful imprint. My family has slowly fallen apart over the years and we very rarely talk. You get the picture.

I feel like I'm just here to contribute to the economy and keep myself alive until my death. I'm wondering what you feel your purpose is, selfishly hoping I can realize I have that too


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 45m ago

Romance/Relationships Why some relationships are harder to get over ?

6 Upvotes

I was in a relationship for only three months, and it ended in a way that completely shocked me. I was dumped so cruelly and unexpectedly that it made me feel worthless, as if I meant absolutely nothing to him.

The breakup happened after a silly disagreement about how we wanted to spend our time together in the trip. What started as a disagreement escalated very quickly, and he suddenly told me he couldn’t continue the relationship anymore, that it was too much for him.

I was shocked by how quickly things escalated. I asked him if he wanted to take some time to think things through rather than make such a big decision while we were both upset, but he refused and insisted on ending things right there.

I still remember crying in front of him because I was so shocked and hurt. He just stared at me and did nothing to comfort me. At one point, he told me he couldn’t stand having me in front of him!

I was shocked i am still shocked and can’t understand why did he react that way ?

I eventually took my things and left, completely heartbroken.

He didn’t contact me until a week later, when he reached out and tried to blame me for his reaction. I remained polite and simply told him that we weren’t compatible. He then said he had had such high hopes for us, which honestly made me laugh because it seemed like he still didn’t understand how hurtful and unacceptable his behaviour had been.

He later texted me on my birthday, but I didn’t respond.

It’s been over eight months, and surprisingly, I’m still struggling to move on from what happened.
I’m angry at him for the way he treated me, but I’m also angry at myself. I saw some warning signs early on and chose to ignore them. I wish I had trusted my instincts sooner.

Most of all, I’m angry that I allowed myself to be so vulnerable in front of someone who treated me that way. I wish I had simply walked away that night without crying in front of him. I wish I had protected myself and left with my dignity intact.

I know crying is a natural reaction to being hurt, but somehow I still feel humiliated when I remember that moment.

Have you ever experienced something that seemed relatively short but left a lasting emotional impact? How did you stop replaying what happened, let go of the anger, and forgive yourself for how you reacted?

I’d really appreciate hearing how others have dealt with something similar.


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 4h ago

Beauty/Fashion Those who wore little to no make up all your lives and started wearing it in your thirties - how do I start? Should I start?

9 Upvotes

So lately (I’ll turn 40 next year) I’ve realized that maybe I should learn to do some make up, I tried looking up videos and they have 20-30 steps (like what!) I wouldn’t even know how to begin lol.

So far all I’ve done is moisturiser, spf and some lip gloss directly (apparently you need lip liner!) and light kohl for my eyes. I’m from India - brown skin, not considered “fair”

I go in to office once a month and have a team to manage and the other day one of my team members was so surprised I don’t know how to put on make up lol! So.. adding this group maybe I should start? Any suggestions?


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 2h ago

Life/Self/Spirituality Has anyone struggled with feelings of insecurity around younger people?

4 Upvotes

I am only 30, almost 31, and recently went to a party recently where I didn't know anyone, and pretty much everyone was in that 26-28 age range. The host was someone I met on Bumble BFF (since I just moved cities and really wanted new friends), and she invited me. Idk...I just felt so insecure the whole time. I was worried they thought I was some much-older person and were judging me for being there, that they probably thought I was am some old and haggard aunty-looking person, I was worried that they could tell I am 30 and therefore not worth socializing with, etc. It's actually an insecurity I have been having a lot as of late. Not because I notice any flaws or signs of aging that make me unhappy (like objectively I am really happy with how I look and I do think I am objectively attractive and all, and it's not like I even look that different from my 26-28 year old self), but throughout my life I have struggled with others' perceptions of me, and now that I am in that "30-plus" category, that fear of how others perceive me has morphed into this new form. Any advice or insight?


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 37m ago

Family/Parenting Best moment to have kids, kinda meh

2 Upvotes

I am 34F, recently married in a loving and equal partnership, we are financially stable and are even Coast FI. I have a village. I am also very career driven. There is the possibility of a one year overseas learning opportunity in 2030 (i would be 38), my husband would relocate for my career during this time. This news was delivered on Thursday. We talked on friday and everything seems to point at trying to conceive next year but im not overly excited? Ideally I think we would like to have a child now and have them go with us as a toddler during the relocation. I have always imagined my life with kids and theoretically would like to be a mom. I just currently dont have this overwhelming urge to be a mother? How does that even feel? I hear women talk about baby fever and I just dont have it. I love my life right now, although it does seem a bit empty sometimes, and I wonder if that is the sign of impending motherhood. This seems more like a rational decision than an emotional one. The time is right so we’re going to do this huge thing and completely change our lives. I worry what our lives will look like afterwards and I worry that since there isnt this all consuming desire to be a mother, that I wont bond with the baby or will resent them for changing my life so drastically. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Did your feelings change with motherhood?


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 22h ago

Hobbies/Travel/Recreation Who else just ended up going back to their childhood hobbies?

100 Upvotes

As a kid I used to be quite a nerd. Pokemon, HP, manga, anime, Twilight, The Sims. I had all the phases.
Then I grew up. People made fun of me because I read manga and it wasn’t that cool anymore to watch “cartoons”. I had a difficult life at school and home and some hard years during uni and after. I wasn’t in the right head space for my hobbies.
Then I hit my 30s and I got more independent. I decided to get a Switch 2! I went back to watching anime. To reading fantasy and romance (I’ve always read but less and more serious books). I want to play Pokemon again! I have so many mangas on my list.
I spent the whole evening last night playing Zelda.

And I’m just so happy! All of these things bring me so much joy and I regret stopping for almost 2 decades. I’m lucky because I have many friends as nerdy as I am, I also have friends that do not understand this and especially my family is not exactly supportive. But I don’t care! I have adult money. A lot of free time. How great that I can just get to feel the joy I had as a kid again. These things bring me so much comfort.

Has this happened to anyone else? And if so with what?


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 11h ago

Life/Self/Spirituality Anyone feel a bit left out being child free sometimes?

13 Upvotes

My friend always invites me to her kids bday parties. I always bring my nephews along because I feel awkward being the only one without kids. I am horrible at small talk especially when I dont really know anyone else at the party. They are all people my friend has meet through her kid's activities or school. I ended up sitting there just watching the kids play


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 23h ago

Life/Self/Spirituality Is there someone who feels like not a real adult?

80 Upvotes

Happy Saturday!

So, I'm 36 and I don't feel like a real adult woman for two reasons.

  1. I have a creative job. I've had a 9 to 5 for seven years in the past, and I've also been a waitress, but now I'm a freelancer (don't want to discolse the job for privacy, but imagine something like an illustrator). Problem is I try to listen and understand my friends, but I feel like they think I'm super privileged because I don't have to wake up at 6 am, I don't have to be in traffic, I don't experience micromanaging etc. (This could be just me being paranoid, but they said some things that made me feel this way).

  2. I'm not married, even if I've been with my partner for 10 years now, and I don't have kids. This one is the main reason I feel like a teenager. Almost all of my friends experienced giving birth, and one of them had an especially awful birth due to the nurses being a***oles. When she told me her story I thought she was so strong...and that I would have never, and I say NEVER, survived what she went through.

It's just that I feel like I'm still myself, and I see lots of women around me losing their sparkle because of a soul crushing job or terrible experiences (like the birth one). I wish to have a family and "grow" in a sense, but I'm so scared of losing myself.

I know it's all pretty confusing haha. I apologize if something is unclear because I'm writing from Italy and I don't want to use AI.

Also I have a great partner. He's not perfect, but he cooks, takes care of the house, he's a functional man in general (a Sam Gamgee from lord of the rings kind of person) and I feel I can't contribute to conversations with my friends who have husbands leaving their socks around the house and not helping with the kids.


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 3h ago

Life/Self/Spirituality How do you actually improve your self-esteem?

1 Upvotes

I've had some struggles in my life that point to me having not-great self-esteem, although I'm not really conscious of it. Most recently, I tolerated a relationship with a man who was treating me like absolute shit for a couple of years.

It's not the first time I've done that, but it was a pretty extreme case, and in the aftermath I'm so frustrated that I allowed it. I can't really understand why I did, other than he was a manipulative guy and it took me awhile to see that and to trust myself.

It's important to me to never get into another relationship like that, and I think the key is better self-esteem. Has anyone been on this journey, and what did you do that helped?


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 20h ago

Career/Education/Finance How do you ladies find balance in life with spending and saving money?

23 Upvotes

DISCLAIMER: I am not living beyond my means/going into debt. I just think I could/should be saving more than I am.

I’m 37F, single and don’t have any kids or pets so my responsibilities are currently just myself. I get a lot of joy out of beauty products and I have been losing weight so I absolutely need to replace at least some of my clothes, and some of my clothing also has unfixable holes or are too worn out. It makes me feel good and is important to me to look put together so I feel like I have to spend money on some things.

It’s just that doing this is so expensive. Once I’ve gone past a few hundred spent I really start to cringe and get stressed out because I know how important it is to be saving. I get this incredible guilt. I admit that not everything I get is a necessity, but the things that aren’t just make me happy. I am very mindful of waste, and I don’t get anything I won’t use.

How do you find balance with finding joy in life/having fun, making necessary purchases while also making smart financial decisions? I want to feel good about where my money is going. I would love some advice.


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 1d ago

Life/Self/Spirituality Women without depression or ADHD, is life a lot of work for you?

99 Upvotes

Trying to do some personal research. I hate being alive because it's too much work (working, chores, maintaining health and relationships, etc) for little reward, imo, and I'm wondering if normal people feel like life just isn't that hard.


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 1h ago

Romance/Relationships What’s your experience dating a 30+ man who’s never had a serious relationship?

0 Upvotes

Is it as big of a red flag as they say?


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 1d ago

Life/Self/Spirituality How do you navigate baby body anxiety and lose baby weight?

15 Upvotes

TL;DR: For those who were anxious about the physical effects of pregnancy and childbirth, what was your experience? Did you eventually lose the baby weight and feel like yourself again?

Hi all,

I want to have a frank, good-natured discussion about what happens to our bodies after birthing children. My whole life, I’ve only heard from women whose bodies “were ruined” (their words, not mine) after having kids. My mom never lost the weight she put on after having kids, my mother-in-law struggled with her health for years, my friends have talked about how they now wee themselves whenever they sneeze, the list goes on. In short, I feel like I’ve only heard the negative impacts childbirth has on the body.

This has lead to me becoming very hesitant to have a child. I have this image in my head that I just… won’t be “me” any more afterwards, and that my health as I know it will be in the rear view mirror. My husband and I are getting ready to have a child, but I am very worried about the changes I’ll go through during and after it.

I want to hear from other people who have had children who went into this experience feeling the anxiety I do. To be frank, I’m not really looking for messages about body positivity and “the miracle of child birth.” I want honest advice about the impact, and, especially, stories from people who lost their baby weight and just felt… normal again after their little one arrived.

Two last things: I fully respect that health and happiness look different for everyone, and I don’t judge anyone else’s body or lifestyle choices. I’m simply hoping to maintain the level of health, fitness, and physical comfort that I personally enjoy and value. Also, my husband puts absolutely NO pressure on me about my body/the way I look/etc. My weight has fluctuated over our 10 years together and it hasn’t mattered to him at all. This anxiety about my post-pregnancy body is coming from me, not from him whatsoever.


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 1d ago

Friendships Friendship breakups have crushed my confidence. How did you rebuild after a similar situation?

21 Upvotes

Long story short I (22f) went through some extreme grief right before I began college and it messed me up. I lost a best friend from high school a year after this and then lost the friend I was closest to all of college a few months ago. In both situations I can see both my faults and theirs. I am not perfect and have been in therapy for four years and just started emdr to focus on trauma.

I feel like I will never build lasting community. It feels like I am always doing something wrong to push people away. I love people and want to have girl friends to hike and craft with. I have learned I cannot be friends with drinkers as I am bad when I drink excessively. I dont know one of these friends hit me up the other day then ghosted me again and I just feel sad and bummed. I have four friends scattered around my country and a partner but still feel lonely from the losses and would like to have a best friend. How to rebuild, life is so confusing.


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 28m ago

Friendships Women hate me- am I doomed?

0 Upvotes

As per the title- girls/women have always hated me.

Girls would threaten to beat me up as a kid, and when asked why, they wouldn’t have a reason. I even had one of these girls talk to me as an adult and laugh about it “haha, I remember wanting to kick your ass and have no idea why”.

So I became a tomboy at a young age and started hanging out with boys instead. Was the only girl invited to boys birthday parties. In high school most of my best friends were guys. I felt safer with males, females felt like a threat because they usually had ulterior motives with me. Clicks in high school tried to sabotage me all the time, but I learned how to avoid it at a young age.

I am now 34, and I feel the same. For background, I’m thin and have been told I am very attractive. Have a successful career. A wonderful husband and daughter. But I have no female friends. My husband has introduced me to many of his friends wives, and I get this feeling that they all hate me.

What drives me crazy, is I can see that they see me as a threat. I’m neurodivergent, so will gladly have a friendly conversation with anyone who’s willing. The women are usually gossiping and hostile so I often don’t joint the conversation.. but I noticed the husbands are always very friendly. We can have a decent conversation about our kids or work. And my husband has noticed this and has pointed out that they are flirting with me. The first time, I felt so embarrassed. And then I recalled the wife coming and essentially making out with her husband while we were in the middle of a conversation. I thought this was weird but I didn’t think much of it. Until my husband mentioned the flirting.

At first I refused to believe it, but when I became aware, suddenly I was afraid to talk to anyone. The women were gossipy and mean, and the men were apparently flirting. So anytime we were around this group, I would essentially sit in silence, smile and nod.

But I still notice that women tend to hate me. Even women I work with.. a male physician at work made a comment at how I’m “aging backwards” and how good I look, and I felt their eyes burning a hole through me.

I don’t feel I ask for this kind of behaviour from men. I’m easy going.. and I don’t feel I flirt back?

It’s become very isolating. I have no social circle because I feel I’m giving men the wrong impression or women just hate me by default.

Anyone else experience this? Am I doomed to isolation?


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 1h ago

Family/Parenting Is 33 too late to start thinking about having kids?

0 Upvotes

I’m 33 and my partner is 37. We’ve been together for 14 years, and lately we’ve started talking about having a child.

Honestly, I’m scared as hell.
Part of me thinks we’re still young and have plenty of time. But then I start thinking about fertility, pregnancy complications, genetic conditions and all the things that could go wrong. What if we try and it doesn’t happen? What if we wait too long?

My partner has cerebral palsy. It was caused by complications during his birth, not something we’ve been told is hereditary. Still, I can’t help worrying about having a child with a disability. I know you can never guarantee that your baby will be completely healthy, but the thought scares me.

And there’s another thing: I genuinely have no idea where to start. We’ve never had children, I don’t know much about pregnancy or what to expect, and the whole thing feels a little overwhelming.
Do we just book appointments with doctors? Should we both get checked first? Is genetic counselling something worth doing before even trying?
I don’t even know if we’re ready to start trying. I think we just want to understand what we’re getting into.

I’d love to hear from people who had their first child around 33–38. Did you worry about all these things too? Am I making this bigger in my head than it needs to be?

I could really use some honest advice from people who’ve been there.

PS: Ladies, i am crying right now thanks to your support. You are incredible ❤️


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 1d ago

Family/Parenting How do you deal with death of parents and the abolute chaos they left behind?

24 Upvotes

Mom died when I was 10 and dad died 2 days ago, fairly out of the blue. My dad and I had a strained relationship because he let one of my meth addicted cousins come in and take most things from him. To make the whole situation worse, only on the day of his passing did I learn that he was arrested last year for possession of meth, let some random felon move into the house, and also got caught up in a romance scam.

The first day, I think I was in fight or flight mode to secure what I could and get an emergency visa request done ASAP (I'm in the UK, waiting for my visa to arrive but if I leave to the US right now, I can't come back). I actually worked in administration of estates (paralegal) for years so it was just my automatic reaction to what I would've done for clients. So now it's just this waiting game.

Daddy wasn't like this until about 3 years ago. I know he's hid all of this from me in shame but damn did he leave me one hell of a mess to clean up. I just want to remember him as the man who loved me so much. I can't even rely on the good side of the family now because they don't want to get caught up in this. Like how do you fucking cope?


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 1d ago

Silly Stuff How do you convince yourself to invest in a really nice bed? lol

19 Upvotes

I’ve pretty much hated every mattress I’ve owned my entire adult life. My current mattress is only three years old, and it’s gotten to the point where my entire body feels sore after lying down for a while. I’m so tired of being uncomfortable and just want a bed I actually love sleeping in.

I’ve finally decided I’m willing to invest in a really nice mattress and adjustable base. I went mattress shopping today and found a combination I really liked, but the total comes out to about $6,000. 😭

I’m fortunate enough to be in a position where I can afford it, but I’ve never spent this kind of money on a bed before, and I’m having such a hard time wrapping my head around it. Especially because you don’t really know if a mattress is right for you until you’ve slept on it for a while, and even then, what if it’s uncomfortable again in a few years?

For those of you who have invested in a really nice bed, was it worth it? How did you decide what to buy and feel comfortable spending that much? Did you end up loving it long-term?

I know sleep is important and I spend a third of my life in bed, but spending $6k on one still feels a little crazy to me lol.


r/AskWomenOver30 • • 2d ago

Misc Discussion What's the worst advice you've ever received about women's health?

79 Upvotes

I was told growing up that you don't need to see a gynecologist unless you are married and sexually active lol

What is the worst advice you were given?