When my kids were little, I made sure to listen to current pop radio so I knew what kinds of saucy lyrics and adult themes they were being exposed to on the school bus.

Back in the day, Katy Perry was one of my guilty pleasures. Her songs were fun and sassy, easy to latch on to, hard to let go.

Seriously, who hasn't scream-sung "Firework" at least once in their life?!

One of Perry's best known hits is "Hot N Cold," purportedly about a moody boyfriend who couldn't make up his mind about what he wanted. The chorus goes like this:

"You're hot then you're cold

You're "Yes" then you're "No"

You're in then you're out

You're up then you're down."

A fickle lover is no walk in the park. While I can totally relate to Perry's noncommittal love interest, I think "Hot N Cold" makes a great anthem for perimenopause!

The medical community defines perimenopause as "the years leading up to menopause." Humpf. Pretty lame-ass interpretation of what I whole-heartedly declare has been the most challenging phase of my life.

Honestly, perimenopause has felt more like demonic possession meets bloody, murderous crime scene meets floating alone on a punctured life raft.

I've been hot then cold since 36 when I had my first soaked-to-the-bone "radiant warming event" (my words for hot flash). Added to the mix since then? Bouts of mild depression, panic attacks, brain fog, acne, and insomnia. Now a decade and a half in the making, "the years leading up to menopause" have been about as fun as driving on black ice with bald tires.

I know I'm not alone here. The more I share my experiences with other people, the more I'm finding they too are eager to lend their voice to the conversation.

And more than conversation, I'm learning that many of us crave support during "the change of life" and thereafter. As a demographic, I'm observing that perimenopausal and menopausal people feel cast aside by doctors because we're no longer "fertile Myrtles" as one of my girlfriends wrote to me recently.

This week, I am seeking vocalists to sing back-up with Katy and me. Will you help with some research I am doing?

If you are a person in perimenopause OR menopause (or think you might be), will you please complete this questionnaire?

You do not need to provide any personal identifying information, but your input is of great value to me. This is solely for my eyes and for my use in possible program creation. Thank you for considering.

Please feel free to share this email OR the questionnaire link with any humans you feel would be interested in contributing to my data collection.

Dear reader, my gratitude to you is not hot n cold; I'm 100% all in thankful!

xo,

Jennifer (she/her)