When Menopause Means Power
Whales are the only mammals, apart from humans, that go through menopause. This is part of the ‘grandmother theory’ (1) - their support of the family unit frees their daughters to have more children. In pods of whales and humans alike, females enjoy a long life after their fertile years end; this is rare in other species. Granny whales’ advanced knowledge of nourishment, guidance, and protection help their families survive and thrive. Whale societies are matriarchal, and their female members retain high social rank until their deaths.
Why hasn’t this same reverence been extended to aging human women? In a society where youth is a currency and ‘anti-aging’ is a multi-billion-dollar business, it’s no surprise that the main biological shift around aging is shrouded in mystery and stigma.
What if we take our cues from the orcas, and treat aging with the respect and celebration it deserves? What if older was better?
The main roadblock is a grim cocktail of medical misogyny and the staggering profit potential of our insecurities. Women’s health is woefully understudied, and menopause even more so - of studies conducted on aging, less than 1% consider menopause (2). The global anti-aging market is projected to reach a value of $421 billion USD in the next 5 years (3); there’s a lot of money to be made in keeping us youth-obsessed.
Happily, other perspectives help us reframe. Stories from cultures where menopause is seen as neutral or positive show us that not only is aging a privilege, it’s a power and a party. Menopause is so much more than just the symptoms of aging. Dr Mary Jane Minkin, MD and clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale University, has this to say about the dangers of equating menopause with old age: ‘In societies where age is more revered and the older woman is the wiser and better woman, menopausal symptoms are significantly less bothersome’ (4). Let’s look at some stories that show us how social meaning, not biology, shapes our experience of menopause. Indigenous women, in particular, are our guides here:
In the Guatemalan highlands, where Mayan women welcome the end of menstruation as a practical and symbolic relief, 75% of participants reported no discomfort associated with menopause (5).
The Maori women of Aotearoa/New Zealand do not pathologize menopause, but welcome it as a life phase linked to elder knowledge and status - in the latter part of their lives, they take positions as community leaders with deeper connections to spiritual beings (6).
In several West African societies, postmenopausal women historically occupied ‘exclusive and significant roles in all spheres of life – social, political, religious and ritual’ (7). Among the Akan of Ghana, for example, the ohemaa (Queen Mother) was traditionally required to be postmenopausal, with her freedom and power connected explicitly to the end of menstruation.
This tells us that the experience of aging can be protected by cultural respect and rituals. The Western biomedical model is not only limited in capturing experiences outside of itself, but within itself too - particularly those of women. Until we can reach the seismic-level shift in culture and politics that would help buffer our physical experience of menopause, we must keep talking about it. Colloquial stories can only become clinical if we keep sharing them. Humans and whales evolved grandmas so they could pass on information; let’s honour that.
It can start with you, today, and the peri/menopause tracker below. It’s designed as a symptom journal that you can use for your own reference, to take to your doctor, or to discuss with your peers. Click the link for a free download, and email me your thoughts or questions through the contact box, or at hello@goodhabitldn.com.
CLICK HERE FOR YOUR EDITABLE PERIMENOPAUSE SYMPTOM TRACKER.
Love and lymph,
Sophie
SOURCES
Dalton, D. (2022). How evolutionary biology can explain why human and a few marine mammal females are the only ones that are menopausal. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtbi.2022.111083 ScienceDirect
Gilmer, G., Hettinger, Z. R., Tuakli-Wosornu, Y., Skidmore, E., Silver, J. K., Thurston, R. C., Lowe, D. A., & Ambrosio, F. (2023). Female aging: when translational models don’t translate. Nature Aging, 3(12), 1200-1210. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-023-00509-8 Nature+1
The global anti-aging market continues upward trend. (2019 May). LiveDerm. https://www.livderm.org/the-global-anti-aging-market-continues-upward-trend LiVDerm
Rapaport, L. (2015, July 8). More evidence menopause symptoms may affect overall wellbeing. Reuters Health. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-menopause-perceptions-idUSKBN0OL1XH20150605/ Reuters
Velez, M. P., Fried, L. P., Masaki, K., Ayonayon, H. N., & Yaffe, K. (2019). Age at natural menopause and physical functioning in older women: the Women’s Health and Aging Study II. BMC Women’s Health, 19, 124. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-019-0798-8 PubMed Central
Makuwa, G. N. (2015). The perceptions of African women regarding natural menopause. Journal of Mid-life Health, 6(3), 124-131. https://doi.org/10.4103/0976-7800.159040 PubMed Central
Storey, A. (2021, October 16). The menopausal matriarchs of West Africa. SOAS History Blog. https://blogs.soas.ac.uk/soashistoryblog/2021/10/16/the-menopausal-matriarchs-of-west-africa/ blogs.soas.ac.uk
