Why It Is Important To Talk About Menopause With Your Daughters

As a younger woman, the concept of menopause appeared ominous, synonymous with aging and decline. I had a tendency to avoid topics that distressed me, including aging, an unspoken fear perhaps stemming from the stigma that still exists around menopause. Believing in the power of words, I'd avoid naming things that I didn't wish to manifest. Hence, I remained silent about menopause, primarily because I wasn't experiencing many of the typical symptoms like hot flashes or insomnia that my friends often lamented over. Their negative experiences planted seeds of anxiety within me. 

It was hard for me to come to terms with the fact that I was getting older, even though my body was showing signs of it. I started experiencing perimenopausal signs a couple of years ago, and by the time I was in my early fifties with increasingly irregular periods, denial was no longer an option. I found myself on a mood roller coaster, with moments of tears followed by sudden happiness. My moods shifted quickly, and even minor disagreements would trigger unexpected outbursts at my husband and daughter. I knew something was wrong, motivating me to introspect, especially considering my disposition had been pretty steady pre-menopause. 

Despite the warnings from my doctor about these emotional changes, I'd been in a state of passive denial, assuring myself that these symptoms couldn't apply to me. Sharing about menopause openly, especially with my daughters, was essential to me, even though it was not a common point of discussion in my environment. My husband, raised in a male-centric household, had little patience or understanding of what I was going through, often attributing my emotional state as a pretext or an excuse. His ignorance, unfortunately, was reflected in the attitudes of several male doctors in my town too, who dismissed menopause as a psychological fabrication. 

Now at 54, I understand that menopause is not just about managing physical changes or biological symptoms, but about navigating our emotional landscapes during this change. It's crucial to embrace it and move beyond mere survival. There are challenges to be faced, no doubt, but, with the right mindset, we can turn this into a period of growth and resilience.

*Name changed on request