In September I attended a big menopause symposium in Seattle. I was excited to be in a room full of women my age, seeking a deeper understanding of the changes and opportunities experienced by women and people with uteruses at this time. I was quickly dismayed by the growing list of medications, therapies, treatments that were advised by the “expert” practitioners, none of them covered by insurance. Thirteen minutes into the conference we were already focused on libido. It wa

Last Saturday I turned 57. My strength training teacher has been inviting me (and other women from the gym) to go running and plunge in the lake afterwards every Saturday morning for the last six months. I’ve mentally committed to going several times but bailed every Saturday morning. Then, last week, the run-plunge fell on my 57th birthday and I took it as a sign that it was time. Kate and I used to run in the trails of Seward Park almost every weekend. At some point I faded

Happy belated Menopause New Year, Breaches! October 18 is World Menopause Awareness day, and we’ve decided to start celebrating Menopause New Year on that day. We’re still making it up, so send us your ideas! This year we admired another year of growth in menopause. Laura finished a job and started a new one, teaching business classes at Shoreline Community College, guiding people as they prepare for new careers. Kate quit a 30 year teaching career and is subbing while we exp

Hey my friend, True story. Yesterday. Annual visit to my Primary Care Physician. Me to my PCP:  “Who do you recommend and refer your...

By Kate Poux   In 2017 I created a menopause ritual for a group of my friends to do together on an upcoming girls’ trip. I’d been living...

by Guest Blogger Nina Willow Ovum Ovulation Ovulatory Anovulatory Menarche Menses Menorrhea Menopause   Baby ovaries in mother's wombs...

Last week during a job interview, while explaining my current role, I forgot the name of the organization I work for. I just couldn’t...

Scream your own Name. This was an unofficial mantra at last month’s Camp Menopause retreat, referencing the billboard ads for The...

I am 56 years old. I am surrounded by a fierce cohort of women just rounding the curve from middle age to menopause. I can’t track the...

Where were you the moment that Joe Biden stepped out of the race for president? Laura and I were hawking menopause at the Summer Sundays...

The night before our very first Claws in Your Pause retreat, August of 2018, Laura and I barely slept. I was having trouble talking...

Last week Laura and I set up our Launch Your Pause table next to the Bluebird Ice Cream booth at the Columbia City Farmers’ Market and...

Yesterday I went to our neighborhood farmer’s market to set up a menopause booth with my friend Kate. I had gotten there early and had...

Last week I was at dinner with my partner and two friends, all women in our fifties. The service at the restaurant was glacially slow....

A few weeks ago at a family gathering my niece’s boyfriend told me it was his birthday. “I’m turning 27,” he said. “Ooooh, 27,” I...

Since arriving to my 50s I feel wise in many areas of my life. Most days I walk around with a fairly solid sense of self. This is a very...

I took a teaching job at a new elementary school this year, and every day a student asks me how old I am. This week a second grader...

Last week my partner Nancy and I took a much needed vacation to Mexico. We’ve both travelled to Mexico multiple times but this time we...

I turned 54 yesterday. As I sat with my eighteen-year-old daughter on the couch I thought to myself, “wow, she has a really long time to...

I have been wondering about the evolutionary advantage of perimenopause, and I think I have a new working theory. Interestingly, it’s a...