Men can’t really imagine how hard it is to tie your sneakers when you’re nine months pregnant. Or concentrate in a meeting when a hot flash strikes and all you feel like doing is standing in front of an open freezer door. You just have to be a woman. We discovered that when we started eating lunch together.
Bouncing from shop talk to husbands to aging parents, we always ended up at menopause, and that was when the laughter started. We finally decided that we were having too much fun to keep the conversation to ourselves. So if you’re a woman pushing 50 (or 60 or 70 or beyond) who has traded in her tampons for calcium pills and fiber supplements, we want to hear your stories and share them with others.
We want to hear it all: inspirational, funny, freaky, sad, or sublime, stories about
your experiences. Tell us about
Physical changes–mirror, mirror, who is that person looking back?
Relationships–parents, friends, lovers, husbands, in-laws, children, grandchildren, pets
Doctors and other strangers
Sex, exercise, and mood rings
Food–gooey or good for you
Money–you can’t take it with you
Risk-taking–what you can and still can’t afford to lose
Hobbies from arts and crafts to exotic dancing
Aging with style (and tummy tucks)
Survival Strategies (I went through menopause and lived to tell about it!)
Advice (only if you’ve already taken it)
or stories about other things that you’d like to share (like the day I had to work all afternoon without underwear!)
Please send your stories to MENOPLUS@psu.edu. Our sources will remain anonymous, but please send contact information so we can get in touch with you to let you know well be printing your story.
Ruth Pflueger and Terri Caruso
Department of English
Penn State Behrend