It’s hard to think of a topic more stigmatised than menopause and yet, here we are.  I was speaking with a medical professional recently and she finds that erectile disfunction is more openly discussed.  How crazy is that?

It’s no secret that the conversation around menopause has changed drastically in the last few decades (thankfully) but have you ever wondered how menopause used to be talked about?

It is important to understand how times have changed and appreciate the progress we’ve made. Even though we still have a long way to go.  Let’s take a trip down memory lane and explore how menopause used to be discussed—or not discussed, as it were.

The Language

Back in 2000, the language surrounding menopause was not particularly flattering or respectful. Terms like “the change,” “midlife crisis,” and “the curse” were all common ways to refer to menopause. And if you thought the language surrounding hot flashes and night sweats was cringeworthy back then, just wait until you hear what they called perimenopausal women: “she-devils” or “harpies” were both popular terms used to describe pre-menopausal women who were experiencing symptoms like mood swings or irritability (which, by the way, are completely normal!).

No matter what you call it, it’s still the same experience but the language we use to discuss it has shifted over time. We now use words like “perimenopause” and “post-menopausal” instead of “the change.” This shift in language reflects a shift in attitude; rather than vilifying or stigmatising menopause, we are now more likely to celebrate and embrace it.

The Unmentionable Topic

In addition to the language used when referring to menopause being less than ideal, the topic itself was often considered off limits. Women rarely discussed their symptoms with each other, let alone with family members or health care providers. This meant that many women went through this significant life transition without any support from their loved ones or medical professionals – not exactly ideal.

Fortunately, things have changed significantly since 2000; today there are countless resources available for women going through menopause, including support groups and medical treatments like hormone replacement therapy (HRT). In addition, people now tend to use more respectful language when talking about menopause; instead of “the change” we now say “perimenopause” and instead of “she-devils” we talk about the effects of fluctuating hormones on our emotions.

The Attitude

The attitude around menopause has also changed significantly since 20 years ago. Back then, women were expected to suffer through their symptoms in silence and without complaint – even if they were experiencing debilitating physical and emotional effects due to hormonal fluctuations. Nowadays, women are encouraged to seek help for their symptoms so that they can get relief and live their best lives during perimenopause and beyond.

The Resources

Thankfully there have been great advances in terms of resources available for women going through menopause. Twenty years ago, information about menopause was hard to come by; today, there is an abundance of websites, books, articles, forums, support groups and more where women can find information about their bodies and get support from other women who are going through similar experiences. In short, there is now much more access than ever before for women looking for help with managing their symptoms during this stage of life.

The Disease

The term “disease” was frequently used when discussing menopause. Women were told that they had an illness that needed to be managed with medication or hormone replacement therapy (HRT). There was no focus on understanding why these changes were happening in the body, only on finding ways to mitigate them. This approach led many women feeling ashamed and embarrassed of their symptoms, leading to conversations about menopause being kept hushed.

The Taboo

Speaking in hushed conversations, there was often a reluctance to say the word “menopause” out loud. Even though this is a natural transition for all women, no one wanted to talk about it publicly. Women often felt there was something shameful about what their bodies were going through and preferred not to broach the subject with anyone else.

Mental Health Neglected

Mental health is another topic that isn’t talked about enough in relation to menopause – even today. Twenty years ago mental health support for midlife women wasn’t even considered an option because of its association with ageism and stigma. Many women just had to accept their decreased libido, fatigue, anxiety, and other symptoms without help or guidance from a physician or therapist.

Menopause is one of those topics that has been talked about differently over time and today’s conversations thankfully look very different than those held 20 years ago.

It’s clear that there has been a massive shift in how we talk about menopause.  We’ve gone from using derogatory terms to describing perimenopausal women to having an open dialogue about our experiences with family members and healthcare providers alike. While this change is certainly encouraging, there is still much work to be done when it comes to destigmatising menopause and removing existing taboos around this natural transition that all women must eventually go through.

The language has changed, attitudes have softened and resources abound (hello internet!). All these positive changes mean that women now have access to better support systems than ever before while navigating this unique stage of life. With so many resources available at our fingertips today, we can feel empowered like never before.

We should celebrate our progress while acknowledging that we still have much work left to do when it comes to destigmatising menopause talk and providing accessible mental health support for midlife women everywhere. With collective effort, we can make sure no woman feels ashamed of her experience with menopause or any other life transition, so let’s keep talking.