I was lucky, I guess, in that menopause wasn't too bad for me. I know it can really suck - I have friends who were truly miserable for a time.

But I have to also point out the absolute freedom I have felt as I've gotten older - I don't give a damn what anyone thinks about me anymore, I look at my twenty-something daughters sufffering PMS and cramps and say "hell, no" as I remember those says, and, while I adore my four adult children, I felt more like a free bird than empty nester when the last one finally flew the coup.