What Fresh Hell is This? The Survey |
Hello! This is a survey I intend to use to inform my upcoming book, What Fresh Hell Is This? Perimenopause, Menopause, Other Indignities and You -- A Guide (Hachette Books/Hachette Go, 2021). I want to learn more about people's encounters with the experiences that are broadly considered perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause. I'd like to hear from those who are now in or have gone through any of the above in any way these can occur: as part of the aging process for those born with a uterine system; because of hysterectomy, oophorectomy or other surgery; because of certain health conditions, medical treatments or medications (including going off of/withdrawing from HRT that was being used as part of gender transition or affirmation).
Content notes:
• There are mentions of abuse, assault and other kinds of trauma.
• This is a nonbinary, trans, intersex and queer (LGBQA+) inclusive survey: cissexist and heterocentric language frequently used with this topic are not within it.
Data collected from the survey will or may be used:
1) To inform the book as a whole and supporting work I create or provide outside the book,
2) As quoted excerpts (for longform answers, but only when permission is given at the end of the survey),
3) As broad data (eg, 88% of participants just want to start the damn survey already, for crying out loud),
4) And possibly, after 2021, as a free and open public resource (for broad data only).
This survey is going to take a little time: probably between 30-60 minutes. Feel free to vent or say more in any part of this survey if you want to: I'm here for your frustrations and troubles, but please don't yell at me, I probably feel as shitty as you do today. I have added comment boxes to many questions (with the exception of most of the demographic questions) for this purpose.
If you'd like to find out more about me, my personal website, including a way to contact me, is at: www.heathercorinna.com
For the purposes of this survey, when I say perimenopause, I mean some kind of body/mind transition usually leading up to menopause. I am currently defining menopause as either the day when those who've previously had regular (or any) menstrual periods have not had them for one year as part of the aging process, or as a sudden-onset radical estrogenic change that can occur with certain medical procedures, health conditions, medications or other issues. When I say post-menopause, I mean life after menopause. If I say peri/menopause, I mean either or both perimenopause and menopause.
Note: What is sometimes called andropause (or "male menopause") -- changes in those born with a testicular reproductive system due to decreased testosterone -- is outside my scope. I'm not gathering data on that here.