When did menopause go from being a natural stage of life to a degenerative disease in need of a cure? Exactly when you'd expect. The transformation began in the '60s, peaked in the '90s, and continues today.
In 1966 Dr. Robert A. Wilson published Feminine Forever, which advocates the use of hormone drugs to prevent or cure menopause's side effects, which he labeled as "flabby," "shrunken," “dull-minded," and "desexed." “No woman can be sure of escaping the horror of this living decay,” he wrote. “There is no need for either valor or pretense. The need is for hormones.”
He might as well have been hired by a drug company to write this. His book put the phrase "hormone replacement therapy" into our vernacular and was a boon to drugs like Premarin, an estrogen replacement drug made of — brace yourself — pregnant mare's urine.
Yet while many ads focused directly internal benefits — ward off heart disease, Alzheimer's, and blindness(!) — others like the above zoned in on the external — maintain your beauty and sex drive, and your husband will still take you sailing! It doesn't help that even today there are celebrity endorsers with gimicky pitches like 63-year-old Suzanne Somers. She says hormones cure the "seven dwarfs of menopause: "Itchy. Bitchy. Sweaty. Sleepy. Bloated. Forgetful. All Dried Up." All dried up? It's like she gave up! I would have gone with "barren," but I guess that implies child-baring restoration.
So while many women have found hormone replacement therapy to mitigate hot flashes, insomnia, and other side effects of menopause, it seems high time we restore it as a change in life and abandon it as a disease. But then again, maybe I'll feel differently in 25 years.
Dimensione Danza
Mey
Polo Ralph Lauren
I most likely won't be going through menopause any time soon, seeing as I am 17 but I do not see it being labeled as a disease. It is, however, an inconvenience. Viagra commercials have been on the air for years and years, do you find them sexist against men? I see nothing wrong with women wanting to maintain themselves just as I see nothing wrong with men wishing to maintain themselves as they get older.
Tooth decay is a normal part of growing older, we have toothpaste for that. We have hair dye for when our hair starts turning gray in color.
That medication is obviously helping some women out there feel better about themselves and I do not see anyone trying to force feed it down your throat. I don't see anything wrong with the picture, the woman seems happy and the man seems happy that his wife is happy. Would you rather have the man sitting angrily in the corner of the boat and have the caption read, "I do not approve"? Perhaps, had she not taken this product, the woman would have been down and been hiding herself in shame over her fading good looks and although her husband tries to cheer her up, she does not believe a word he says. It sparks an argument and they both decide to go home immediately. Once they get there, they file for divorce. The man cries himself to sleep in the shower and drowns while the woman, in blind rage, electrocutes herself. THey both die.
IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT??
1Hormone replacement therapy has been connected to stroke, cancer, embolism, etc, but at least you won't be
2"all dried up" and your husband will take you sailing!
Whoa... anonymous... I'm not even sure what to say to all that.
Except that I don't think hormone therapy has anything to do with menopausal women "keeping their looks." I'm pretty sure it has virtually no impact on your physical appearance.
3My mum hit menopause at the exact same time as I hit puberty.My poor dad had to deal with two cranky, b*tchy, tired, hormonal women!!
Cote, it did effect my mums appearance, she put on a lot of weight (she went from a size 18 to a 22) and she had worse spots than I did.
Menopause was really scary when mum first started going through it, and seven years on she's still menopausal, regardless of what the doctor has put her onto.
I do think that there should be a "cure" for women, but only for the women where menopause is unbearable or extended, and should probably only be used as a last resort.
4I really don't understand or agree with the anti-HRT crowd.
I am pro-science. I think the science shows that the benefits of HRT are a risk. And, yes, thrombosis is one of those risks - but it generally only affects the inactive. The weight gain of unmitigated menopause seems like a great way to become inactive.
I know I am a b**** on wheels when I get hormonal. You better believe I'll be reaching for a bottle of HRT when I hit menopause.
We have awesome technology for improving our lives. Yes, HRT is not natural, but neither was living beyond the age of 30.
5Hmm...I'm torn. My mom spent what seemed like a decade going through menopause. She gained probably 50 pounds during it, started to lose her hair, had acne problems, and the heat flashes were insane - to the point of vomiting in public stores when they hit. She also suffered some pretty severe depression and mood swings - I remember her crying a lot.
The doctor tried to talk her into taking hormone therapy and she refused. She made it through okay (her hair grew back for the most part) but she can't seem to lose the weight now. At the time I kept wishing she'd take the meds since she seemed so miserable, but knowing that the meds can be just as bad for you, makes me see the wisdom of sticking it out.
Other family members went through menopause pretty easily and definitely had no need for hormone therapy or any other meds. I think it needs to be a case-by-case decision. There's nothing shameful though about going through menopause and I think that we should be supportive of these women instead of trying to tell them there's something wrong with them. Your ovaries are shutting down, hormone levels are changing and it's unrealistic of society to expect you to be the same as you were pre-menopause.
6Wow, the first response here is one of the craziest things I've read on Sugar. Anonymous for the win!
7I know! ^_^ That first post is full of win!
8Haha, I didn't even comment on the first post because it made me laugh. 17 year old hormonal extremism at it's best!
SKG - I can see your point about the weight gain/inactiveness. My mom can't seem to lose the weight she gained during menopause and it definitely increases her risk of heart disease and stuff.
9Yeah, I mean, have you ever looked at the science of why you get b**chy? Imagine that with nothing to regulate it.
I know it's harder/easier to run based on the time of day I take my birth control. I can only imagine how much worse lethargy would be with nothing there at all.
10Unfortunately, there are some pretty awful side effects to hormone replacement therapy. My MIL was diagnosed with uterine cancer after she started therapy, and the doctors believe that the therapy may have played some part in it (apparently it increases your risk if you are already at risk for some types of cancer). Obviously it varies by individual, but remember, these are HORMONES you are putting into your body, and your body takes great effort during all life stages to maintain hormones at a very delicate balance. Just please be careful and infromed about it....
11I work supplement retail and meet women suffering, and I mean suffering, from premenopause/menopause symptoms on a daily basis. It varies from woman to woman on whether it is hot flashes, weight gain, loss of sex drive, depression, etc but until I started working in this industry I had no real concept of how widespread it is. I don't think HRT is the way to go because there are many natural alternatives, but at the same time I can see how desperate these women are for relief so I don't judge anyone's decision.
12I'm just terrified of ending up in Anonymous's worst case scenario.
13I have to say, having started peri-menopause at 35 and full menopause at 44, the hot flashes, weight gain, mood swings, etc. are nothing to play with. I went from a size 8 to a 16 and I was really unhappy, this weight gain came even though I was still exercising 4 times a week! I've found an OTC natural supplement and now I’m doing GREAT! I’m back to a size 10 (loosing slowly) and I feel WONDERFUL! I’m thankful for good genes because at 47 people think I’m in my late 30’s and that’s the way I feel now. HRT is not for everyone. Each woman should assess her body and figure out what would work for her. BTW, I found the OTC pills at Puritan’s Pride.
14My mom recently started bioidentical hormones and is loving it! Before she started these medications she was unhappy with her weight and just felt blah! Now she says she is back to feeling great again!
15Wow, it's crazy reading about what extreme symptoms menopause can have. My mom had almost no negative effects from menopause - no weight gain; hot flashes but normally only in the evenings at home, so she'd take a cool shower; no emotional changes - and even better, she stopped getting PMS! Still, her doctor INSISTED that she go on HRT to "keep her normal" (those were his exact words). When she said that she felt fine, he said that she could become dehydrated from sweating during hot flashes.
I mean, really?? Medical professionals are trying to push hormone therapy onto someone because she gets sweaty a few times per week?? Luckily, she refused, and no longer goes to that doctor.
And I'm sorry, when I said "keeping their looks" above, I wasn't really thinking about weight gain. But I guess that could be one domaine where hormone replacement could have a positive effect.
16Menopause is definitely a horrible phase of life for some women, and it was for my wife when she couldn't sleep and had horrible hot flashes. Bioidentical hormone therapy was a natural option that she felt was right for her. She found a qualified physician and has been on bioidenticals for 4 months now and has been feeling much better.
17Post New Comment
Please share your opinion with our community, but make sure it is on topic and follows our Community Rules. We moderate comments and prohibit personal attacks, threats, spam, lewd images, or the promotion of your personal website.