A woman muses about buying lovely new panties; another journeys inward and outward to redefine her life, a blogger offers information, support, and community to perimenopausal women; researchers uncover myths and misconceptions about migrant and refugee women’s experiences of menopause; a gerontology scholar extrapolates for menopause the meanings of cultural representations of childbirth; a sociologist and intersex advocate challenges her medically constructed menopause; young women’s stories inform an inquiry into the health and social repercussions of primary ovarian insufficiency—all in a collection of research papers and personal narratives that moves far beyond the idea of menopause as a mere biological marker. While biomedical and feminist researchers agree that menopause is a time of transition and border crossing, they offer diverse viewpoints about whether perimenopause and menopause signal deficiency and burden, or growth and freedom, or both. So too, contributors to this collection—influenced by factors of age, cultural background, societal context, and physical and psychological experience—vary significantly in their perspectives of this process. Research, analysis, narrative, poetry, and art intermingle to create a multi-textured montage that challenges stereotypes, probes relationships, and defies categorization. Musings on Perimenopause and Menopause: Identity, Experience, Transition, provides insight into how women think about and experience the transition to menopause in contemporary times.

Heather Dillaway is a professor of sociology and associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Her research focuses on women's perimenopause and menopause experiences, and is published in a range of feminist journals including Gender & Society; Sex Roles; Journal of Women & Aging; Healthcare for Women International; Women and Health; Women’s Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal; and Feminist Formations. Heather’s work on this reproductive transition, as well as her research into the reproductive health experiences of women with physical disabilities, seeks to highlight women’s everyday voices and lived experiences.

Heather Dillaway's profile page

Laura Wershler discovered a love for editing the words of other while earning a certificate in journalism (2011) from Mount Royal University. She brings to her editing and writing decades of experience as a sexual and reproductive health advocate, commentator, and educator. Her work has appeared in various newspapers, journals, online media, and the anthology Without Apology: Writings on Abortion in Canada (2016). Two personal essays about women’s aging will appear in other anthologies published in 2021. One is from her memoir-in-progress about her role as advocate and companion to her mother in deep old age.

Laura Wershler's profile page