You would think that I, of all people – a gynecologic oncologist – should have recognized my own menopausal symptoms when they started. But when I was 37 and they first started appearing, I actually mistook them for pregnancy. I had dedicated many of my reproductive years to my career, and when I began to…
I never met my mother. My stepmom didn’t tell me women bled once a month, for years, until it stops. So, I had a terrible fright when, at 14, I had blood all over my skirt. My schoolmates told me it would happen every month. When I turned 16, I wanted to leave Coxcatlán and…
As someone who taught teenage girls for years, it’s actually hilarious that I didn’t realize that my periods had stopped. You can’t imagine how much period talk there is in the classroom: “Ma’am, I need a pad.” “Ma’am, I need to skip sports today.” “Ma’am, I have cramps.” “Ma’am, I stained my skirt.” It’s nonstop!…