Today we accept that menopause is a natural process that we experience as late in our lives. But historically, menopausal women were viewed very differently and judged often, pretty harshly. You have to know where we’ve been to appreciate where we are today.
It’s not that no one was aware that menopause happened. In fact, people have known about it for centuries. And the views were mostly negative.
Romans considered menstrual blood to be poisonous. So when menstruation came to an end, it was believed that the woman retained toxins in her body. These “toxins” were blamed for a woman’s emotional and physical decline. The cure? Leaches and blood-letting.1
One of the earliest mentions of menopause comes from the Greek philosopher Aristotle. He described menopause as occurring between the ages of 40 and 50 and marked the end of a woman’s fertile years.1 While women were still considered inferior, menopause was at least viewed as a natural occurrence.
Ancient Egyptians had their own ideas. They viewed menopause as a problem to be fixed by the gods.2 They appealed for divine intervention and sometimes to their pharaoh who was revered as a High Priest and the earthly representative of the gods. They also considered menopausal women to be “bewitched”.2
During the Middle Ages, menopausal women enjoyed somewhat of a reprieve. Women started receiving healthcare from other women, most often from those in religious life. Various remedies such as special diets and herbal supplements along with prayer became popular. Also around this time, the post-menopausal woman began to be seen as stronger and a source of wisdom. Of course, that changing status was due in large part to the fact that they were no longer menstruating, which was seen as the reason for their female “irrationality.”3
That time of respect was rather short-lived, and by the time of the Renaissance, post-menopausal women were largely excluded from popular society. Because they did not reproduce, they were seen as less appealing or desirable. Around this time there was also a huge resurgence of the idea that these women were somehow bewitched. In fact, one of the largest witch hunts in European history occurred in the late 1500’s into the early 1600’s. Over 30,000 women were executed during those years, most of them older women.4
You’d think the modern era would have ushered in greater understanding. Not yet. The Victorians had their own ideas about women and sex and menopause. During the Victorian era, menopause was considered as a disease that needed curing. Enter the physicians. Women were now openly seeking care for their “hysterical” ills from physicians who were almost exclusively male. During this period, medicine saw the introduction of some of the most bizarre and dangerous treatments for menopause. These included everything from carbonated soda and opium, to lead acetate vaginal injections and even the surgical removal of ovaries and clitorises.5 Yikes!
The loss of fertility was eventually given an official name: menopause. In 1821, French physician Charles Pierre Louis De Gardanne coined the term “menopause” which literally means “monthly stop”. Even when recognized as a medical phenomenon and not a disease, a bewitching or a deficit, menopause remedies continued to be focused on alleviating the woman’s hysterical behaviors. Women fell prey to all kinds of pills, potions and gimmicks.5
Finally in 1929, a biochemist named Edward Doisy made a discovery that was nothing short of an answered prayer: Estrogen. This discovery unlocked the mysteries of women’s reproductive health and has meant relief for the changes we undergo.
Have we learned from history? Maybe. Hopefully. In some ways, women have more knowledge and options than ever before. In other ways, menopause is still misunderstood, shrouded in secrecy and considered “woman trouble” to be whispered about among women of a certain age. This can lead to the anxieties we face when we are approaching menopause, but that needs to change. Menopause is as natural as puberty, and we’ve made a lot of progress in changing views about periods. Let’s continue making progress for menopause.