To all guys who may be reading this….If you have a weak stomach don’t read any further. Guys have it so easy. When puberty hits their voices change, and they grow hair where they never had any before courtesy of their hormones. For us women we’re at the mercy of our hormones. First off, we grow breasts (not so bad once the soreness goes away), and maybe we get a few pimples ( this affects you guys too). But that’s nothing compared to getting our periods. When it happens for the first time, we (and our mothers) are excited. We are women now and our bodies are now ready to give life. Once the novelty wears off, all bets are off. Every month we have to deal with, bleeding, bloating, mood swings, cravings , pimples( yep they come back), cramps, and the like. Men wonder why we get so emotional once a month. You try having your insides bleed out of you accompanied by one or more of the aforementioned symptoms, then come and talk to us. And this lasts for years, yes years. It usually starts around the age of 13 , but can start earlier or later. This goes on once a month until at least the age of 50, then comes menopause. We go through years of this torture only to find that it doesn’t stop just because our periods do. In our 40s or sometimes earlier we become peri-menopausal, which is just a preview of what’s to come. Our periods may start to get erratic and we may get warm for no reason. But then comes the main attraction: Menopause. With menopause comes symptoms similar to our period but ten times worse. Hot flashes which make you want to call the fire department to come hose you down are the most common symptom. They may show up as night sweats so bad that you have to get up and change not only the bedding but yourself. The cramps may stop, but the bitchiness begins. And trust me on this: you do not want to piss off a woman who has her period or is going through menopause. Either way you will lose. To all my sisters in womanhood : we must soldier on together. To all you men out there: be afraid, be very afraid!