It’s estimated that 75 million women in the U.S. are in perimenopause, menopause or postmenopause. With funding from the Institute of Women’s Leadership faculty fellowship award and an Explorer Challenge grant, Dr. Allie Kriofske Mainella, Assistant Professor at Marquette University and Director of Counselor Education, started gathering research with the hopes of developing a menopause transition tracking app to provide a tool for women in those life stages. The ongoing study now has data from over 300 women. Kriofske Mainella is this week’s featured guest on WTMJ Conversations.
The partial transcription below was provided by eCourt Reporters, Inc.
LIBBY COLLINS: What’s the difference between a wise old woman and a crazy old lady?
DR. ALLIE KRIOFSKE MAINELLA: Well, that’s a really good question. I think the key to that is that other people call someone a crazy old lady, but if you feel inside yourself that you’re a wise old woman, then you actually just don’t care if people think you’re a crazy old lady. And that makes all the difference.
I feel like one of the things we’re noticing in our study, and I’m thinking about practitioners and how great it will be for practitioners to understand menopause more, is to help women sort of use that positive self-talk, that idea of who I really am.
And so, if this person thinks I’m crazy at the grocery store because I’m loudly looking for something or I bumped into someone and I’m not all embarrassed about it, that’s okay. They can think that I have no control over what they think. And I’ve learned through this long life that I’ve lived that I have no control over what they think. I think I’m funny and I’m amusing and I’m not really concerned. And it just, like, changes your perspective so much.
DR. ALLIE KRIOFSKE MAINELLA: I’ve heard some women talk about how it’s different to date when you’re 50 than it was when you’re 20, right? We all get older. My hair is turning gray. My face doesn’t look the same. Oftentimes, people in perimenopause describe this unexpected weight gain out of nowhere when they haven’t been doing anything different. So, that part of it, I think, can be really difficult for people.
The other part is that there’s this sense of security in yourself. I know who I am. When I was 20, I still was searching, I wasn’t really sure, I still felt a little insecure. And now I’m 50 years old, and I know who I am, I know what I want, I know what I absolutely don’t want. And that does provide a little solace to women in this time of life, even when they’re single and looking for a partner.
