There are actually several threads from people our age who are reinventing themselves. Many are men and many are women who are not yet going through menopause. So I don't think this is necessarily hormone related. If you make clear-headed choices and you understand the ramifications, then go for it. If we assume that you're healthy, you've probably got a lot of years left to live and be productive. Might as well be doing something you really want to do.

Gordon Miller has done some excellent postings on careers and career change on this site. Do a search on his name and see what might be relevant for you.

Same here Peoria. One of my 43 things (another website) is to "reinvent myself as often as I want" this year, although that was a 2007 goal. For me it is now or never.

Is the need to reinvent ourselves the same thing as a mid-life crisis? There are a lot of us here who are in the rediscovery process or reinventing process--very similar to each other. Is this all related to menopause? And the loss of sex drive? and night sweats? and waking up all night long? and mood swings? and wanting to strangle the husband at odd times? or castrate him? maybe murder? did I mention mood swings?

reinventing my self sounds like a wonderful idea because many times I don't recognize ME anymore. I don't think my family does either. for heaven's sake--I wonder sometimes if my mother were alive, would she even recognize me? Pretty pathetic.

I am feeling the same as you. In my 50's I have went back to college and earned a BA in Legal Studies. Looking for a change in careers and wish these hot flashes would go away. I have been dealing with these hot/cold flashes for three years now. I think the hormones are going wild...

Hold on to hope. There has to be more!!

Yes, Yes, Yes! Aside from the crazy ups and downs of hormonal flux, I feel more alive and energized than I ever have in my whole life!

I have begun writing....something I have always wanted to do but never gave myself the time for. It is a cathartic and necessary part of my day now.

I am counting down the days when I can leave my career and jump into a new one. My youngest will be 14 in September...by the time he is 18, I want to leave the field of emergency medicine (it will be 30 years for me by then) and find a field that nutures my soul instead of draining it.

I am finally comfortable in my own skin. It has been a lifetime struggle to be happy with who looks back at me from the mirror...I have become happy with my curly/not so curly brown hair, my somewhat saggy boobs, my larger than average hips, the wrinkles around my eyes, the parentheses around my mouth.

So, maybe this is the payoff for all the crap we have to go through with periods and child-bearing and menopause. Maybe we get to re-create ourselves when we hit a certain age and become who we really want to be for the rest of our lives.