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[marras]

Has anyone seen the letter in the letters page in today's Daily Mail entitled 'The change isn't natural' in response to the DM's recent articles on the menopause? The author of the letter, Yvonne Locke, writes 'The menopause is a disorder of the endocrine system' . I won't write the whole letter, I'm sure it can be viewed on the DM site but she  goes on to say ' The endocrine system is highly complex and, it would seem, not fully understood. The medical profession and pharmaceutical industry need to wake up and acknowledge menopause as a medical condition. Everyone should then stop dismissing it as 'natural', and perhaps the physical and mental consequences to women's health will be addressed'. 

[dazned]

Very interesting ,thanks for letting us know,off to have a look.

[Dancinggirl]

We are not designed to be child bearing for ever so menopause is a natural part of the ageing process. However calling it 'natural' and dismissing it as 'just something we have to go through and tolerate'  is no longer tenable. As I keep saying, menopause is really a modern problem as so few people actually got to 50 up until quite recently. Women were often committed to an asylum in their 50s probably because they were having meno symptoms.  We are now living far longer & expected to work longer so the issues around the menopause are more pronounced and treatment more important. I don't buy into the 'disorder' label as women in the past who did survive beyond meno were probably stronger and perhaps didn't get meno symptoms too severely - survival of the fittest. Maybe genetically we are weaker now so meno symptoms are getting worse with each generation.
In Pride and Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet "suffered with her nerves" - the poor women probably had menopause symptoms - she languished on the sofa quite a bit.   DG x
 

[babyjane]

Yes, I saw it yesterday and thought of the ladies on this forum.  I'm not sure the powers that be will agree with the points made though 

[rosebud57]

As I keep saying, menopause is really a modern problem as so few people actually got to 50 up until quite recently.

Not really accurate as although the average age of death was much younger, until recent times, this was distorted by high child mortality.  The majority of females who reach adulthood would have also reached the menopause.

Statistic are very misleading

[Dancinggirl]

Very true rosebud57 re statistics. So many women died in childbirth as well. My theory is that in the past if you were fortunate to have mild meno symptoms you did OK and probably lived longer but those that suffered from bad meno symptoms often ended up semi invalid - which was fine if you came from a wealthier family but if you were poor and it really effected your health then you possibly died younger.
When they set up the state pension they never envisioned a time when the majority of people would live beyond 65-70.
I just wonder if genetically we are suffering more with meno symptoms than in the past? Maybe some research into why some women suffer more that others might bring some better treatments. Maybe there is some credence to the theory that the endocrine system might be faulty in some way??!!  Age related issues like the menopause will eventually have to be looked into more closely.  Dg x

[rosebud57]

I think it's more that in this modern age we have lost touch with our own bodies.  Unlike our grandmothers and great grandmother we no longer have the same female solidarity the help one another (except here of course) and the meno has become taboo.  We have also lost some kind of natural instinct or force that helps us read our own bodies.

Just look at the breast feeding rates.  So many women fail because the don't have proper support and lack confidence.  If women in the past failed at the same rates most babies would have starved.  The old knowledge past down from mother to daughter has gone.

[Hurdity]

Re the genetics - natural selection (and therefore evolution) cannot work directly on any variation (gene that mutates( that occurs when a woman is beyond reproductive age. There is no mechanism for it to be passed on to the next generation, and therefore no advantage or disadavantage can be conferred except during the woman's lifetime.

As our life expectancy increases and a large proportion of women survive well after their children reach adulthood, I would expect eventually the average age of menopause to increase - but this would only happen over a very long period of time and there are of course many other factors which come into play in our complex society!

Hurdity x

[Hurdity]

PS I couldn't find the article - do you have a link? - can't find anything on that site - not the letters page - and you have to wade through such a lot of garbage to find anything!!! I don't know where to look!

Hurdity x

[dazned]

I was under the impression having read a few articles that the average age of menopause was getting lower 
Maybe due to life styles,environmental changes,etc.

[lancashirelass]

http://www.pressreader.com/uk/daily-mail/20150402/282505772106582/TextView

Link above you have to swipe a few.times to get to the letter

[marras]

Thanks Lancasshire lass for supplying the link. Couldn't do it myself as I'm not a bit techy!