I, too despise having a period, but now that I'm 45, I worry about menopause and facial hair and mood swings and hot flashes, etc. I haven't hit menopause yet, but I've gotten a nodule on my thyroid and gained a ton of weight. I am slated to see an endocrynologist in the future, that is, if the VA's records reflect the last referral before I relocated out of state; I really need to figure out if I'm now perimenopause. It's affecting my chronic fatigue syndrome, weight, and temperature - not to mention moods.

And then, to add insult to injury, us females in society have been accused of being "too hormonal." I hate that label, that attribution, that stigma.

I've also lost my sex drive completely, though I've always had issues with sex since I am a victim of sexual assault (adulthood) and sexual abuse (childhood). Being female has made it harder for me to cope.