Menopause “as you like it”

MENOPAUSE "AS YOU LIKE IT" To the Editor: Menopause is menopause, and one might just as well accept concurrent headache, weight gain, insomnia, dizziness, depression, constipation, and irritability as biological destiny--it comes with the territory. At least that is how it is often represented, but there is an instinct within me that says, preposterous. Carol Theisen and Phyllis Mansfield recently presented some provocative views on the subject in the Journal of Health Education (1993; 24:209-13). They point out that, despite the linking of menopause with unpleasant physical and psychological changes, the only two symptoms that are unequivocally supported by research as associated with declining estrogen levels are 1) hot flashes and 2) vaginal atrophy. In their words, "the wide variation in symptomatology and experiences among mid-life women from different cultures suggests that the biomedical model is not sufficient." They feel that, "menopause draws its meanings from basic concepts within the culture, such as the meaning of women's reproductive power, the role of women in the social structure, and attitudes toward aging."

WHI Vol. 4, No. 1 Spring 1994

Mary Catherine Bateson, Robinson Professor of Anthropology at George Mason University, feels that menopause, being a physiologic marker, provides an opportunity for personal growth, a time to examine one's lifestyle and make positive adaptations. Adaptive skills developed during this stage could be helpful in adapting to further challenges as you continue along life's way. The legendary Margaret Mead (who, by the way, was Dr. Bateson's mother) envisioned menopause as a time of new energy, new commitment, even new zest. In fact, Dr. Bateson says that her mother considered "postmenopausal zest" a powerful and largely untapped resource. Menopause is a midchannel marker, and a whole new ocean of opportunity lays beyond, and we have "miles to go" and "promises to keep"--the most import of these to ourselves. So, make the mark, then go ahead. To fulfill your promise, you must expend your full ration of "postmenopausal zest." To do otherwise would waste a powerful resource. James A. Metcalf, PhD College of Nursing and Health George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia

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