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Let’s get something straight: if a human female lives long enough, menopause happens. Full stop. It’s not a modern phenomenon. It’s not a syndrome. It’s not a disease. And it’s definitely not the result of women suddenly living “too long.” That idea needs to be retired—preferably with a gold watch and a firm talking-to.
Fertility Has Always Had an Expiry Date
Aristotle (yes, that Aristotle) wrote in his biological treatise On the Generation of Animals that female fertility ends well before death. He wasn’t exactly a champion of women, but he did observe that our reproductive years come with a natural expiry date—and that we lived on beyond them.
So no, menopause didn’t sneak in with modernity like a side effect of Wi-Fi or oat milk. It’s always been part of the female timeline. What’s changed is not that we go through menopause—it’s how long we live afterward.
Life Span vs Life Expectancy: A Quick Reality Check
Let’s clarify a common mix-up. Lifespan is the biological potential for how long a person can live—think of it as the upper limit. Life expectancy, on the other hand, is a statistical average that factors in things like famine, childbirth, war, and infections.
So yes, the average life expectancy used to be lower, often skewed by infant mortality. But plenty of women lived into their 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s thousands of years ago—and they weren’t hiding behind the colonnades of ancient temples either.
Let’s Talk Historical Women with Some Serious Staying Power
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Queen Tiye, grandmother of Tutankhamun, lived into her 60s in ancient Egypt and held serious political power.
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Hildegard of Bingen, a 12th-century polymath, composer, and medical writer, lived to age 81.
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Catherine de’ Medici lived into her late 60s—while managing empires and marrying off royal children.
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Even in the harsh world of medieval Europe, Eleanor of Aquitaine made it to 82, outliving two kings and mothering ten children along the way. [featured image of Eleanor of Aquitaine source]
So yes, there were old women in history—and they were busy. They just didn’t get written about as much as the old men. (What’s new?)
The Real “Modern Phenomenon”? The Way We Talk About Menopause
As Dr. Deena Emera said on the Hotflash Inc Podcast, by Ann Marie McQueen:
“Menopause itself isn’t surprising – if you live long enough, you will run out of eggs. What’s unique about humans is that we have such a long post-reproductive life stage. That’s the real mystery we need to solve.”
Exactly. The question isn’t why menopause happens—it’s why we get so much life afterward. That’s rare in the animal kingdom, but in humans? It’s baked in. There’s even a name for it: the Grandmother Hypothesis—the idea that post-reproductive women stick around to help raise the next generations. (Sound familiar?)
So No, Perimenopause and Menopause Are Not Modern “Conditions”
Let’s just call that what it is: a myth. A modern misreading of biology, stats, and history. Perimenopause and menopause are not new, not disorders, and not caused by “overstaying our welcome” on Earth. What’s changed is that we’ve started paying attention—and talking about it.
So the next time someone suggests menopause is some side effect of modern life, hit them with this: “Menopause has always been here. You just haven’t been listening.”
And if you want to really make them think, throw in this zinger from The Wiser Woman blog:
“We are supposed to live this long.”
Because we are. We always have been.
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The 3C Framework – Calm, Clear & Connected
A Practical Roadmap for a Mindful Menopause
Wednesday 12th March at 6.30pm – 7.30pm – online – save a seat here
Menopause doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Calm, Clear & Connected is a straightforward, easy-to-follow framework designed to help you take control of your experience with clarity and confidence.
In this lively workshop, you’ll gain essential menstrual health knowledge, helping you understand what’s happening in your body and why. With this foundation, making supportive choices becomes simpler and more effective—because they’re relevant and meaningful to your unique journey.
Through a practical, science-backed approach, you’ll create a personalised plan to:
✔ Calm your body—reduce symptoms, manage stress, and restore balance
✔ Clear your mind—cut through confusion, improve focus, and feel confident
✔ Connect the dots—understand your body’s needs and make informed choices
No fluff, no guesswork—just clear guidance and actionable steps to help you move through menopause with ease. By the end of the course, you’ll have a real-world strategy that works for you, so you can feel energised, in control, and fully supported in this next phase of life.
Your menopause, your way—let’s make it work for you.
Save your seat by booking on the calendar right now —> WORKSHOP CALENDAR
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A Menopause Tool Kit …
… is a collection of actions and items that will enable you to manage symptoms and optimize your physical and mental health as you travel the menstrual health timeline.
It could equally be called a Menstrual Health Tool Kit. Choosing what to add to the robust selection of items can only happen when you have a clear understanding of where you are and what the options are.
What you choose today, may not be what you choose tomorrow. It’s all about balance.
1. Learn about the menstrual health timeline
You can read a copy of Menopausology (no email required). This short read will explain the process of menopausing and give you an insight into why menopause transition may lead to some physical and emotional challenges.
2. Keep a Journal to collect the data on you
Use a symptom tracker, pen and paper will do, to identify the signs and indicators that you are noticing now. You could also recall any other symptoms that may have come and gone in the last few months or years. Write down as much as you can about your historic menstrual health.
3. Tune in to you
As you start to notice more things about yourself, start to record the information in terms of food, mood, movement, and stress. Also, note any significant differences in relation to your menstrual cycle. It may take 30 days or so to collect enough information but gradually you will start to get a much clearer picture of when symptoms occur, what makes them better, and when they are worse.
5 Key ‘supplements’ that could be in any menstrual or peri/menopause tool kit, are*:
Breathing (Vit O) – get plenty of Oxygen. Controlled breathing, on purpose with a purpose, will instantly reduce stress which triggers a reduction in cortisol, which then helps all hormones work better. What kind of symptoms may be helped? Feelings of sadness, anxiety, physical strains, vasomotor symptoms (hot & cold flushes, and sweats)
Move (Vit E) – exercise that helps to maintain muscle strength and joint flexibility will keep you mobile for longer in your lifespan. Moving requires the heart to pump and the lungs to inflate. Both help with circulation and cardiovascular strength. What kind of symptoms may be helped? Mindset, emotions, aches and pains, flexibility, brain fog.
Food (Vit N) – a good quality of nutrients is essential. Without a great source of vitamins and minerals from a wide variety of real foods you are not going to experience the best kind of natural hormone cascades that your body should be experiencing to function well. What kind of symptoms may be helped? Crushing fatigue, brain fog, joint aches & pains, temperature regulation, insomnia.
Rest & Destress (Vit Sr) – Stress and Sleep are two vital components of life. Whilst we need positive stressors to function, too many for too long of the negative stressors will impair all hormone functions, slowly grinding us to a halt. Sleep, or rest, must be good quality to balance out the stress. Sleep can become impaired not only because of changes in ovarian hormone levels but also because we rush into it. Take more break points in the day to connect with the parasympathetic nervous system. For example, while the kettle is boiling stand still and breathe, prep your real food meals, and chop/mix in a mindful way, let your mind wander, and journal for 5 mins before bedtime. What kind of symptoms may be helped? Insomnia, overwhelm, lack of joy, anxiety, vasomotor symptoms, ear and eye ones (anything related to the vestibular system)
Social Connections (Vit L) – finding joy and laughter during times of confusion feels like a complex ask. ‘Shouldn’t you be focusing on the core elements?’. We are human beings and we benefit from being human with others. Oestrogen has a direct relationship with oxytocin the ‘cuddle and care’ hormone, which also happens to be a brain chemical. Without enough oxytocin, it directly affects our happiness dial. The bad news is oxytocin depletion can present as aching muscles, sleep disturbance, and a bigger appetite for sugary foods. The good news is laughter swaps the cortisol in the bloodstream with the happy hormones oxytocin, dopamine, and endorphins. Altogether they can improve immune functioning, stress relief, cardiovascular health, reduced anxiety, sense of safety, and improved mood. What kind of symptoms may be helped? All of the above.
*The Bottom Line – Obviously, there is a play on the word ‘supplement’ and those 5 vitamins are not real – but I honestly think they should be.
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What an amazing event! I am so glad I came.
The MAC Centre in Edgbaston, Birmingham become the hub of Menopause education on Sunday 27th January 2024.
The event was hosted by the Menopause Group CIC, accompanied by Aamilah Begum from Menopause Talk CIC.
The room was full of people looking to learn and understand what it means to menopause, particularly as a person of faith.
Through the session we hear people saying things like:
Why don’t we learn this at school?
I’ve been to five other menopause talks to try and understand what was happening. After this one, I don’t need to go to anymore.
We lead them on an educational journey through The Story of Menopause – from periods to perimenopause and beyond. Aamilah talked about her lived experience of endometriosis and both a chemical and surgical menopause.
As a woman of colour and faith the elements that impact her and many others, are rarely talked about and understood. The audience resonated with everything she said and were inspired to empower themselves with understanding the menstrual health timeline, as explained by Fiona.
