Some people see it as a simple biological event, others as an illness.
Our current scientific understanding of menopausal symptoms is that they are a result of falling hormone levels. But the discovery of hormones themselves is a relatively recent concept. Along with leeches, plant extracts called emmenagogues may have been prescribed, or periodic bloodletting from the arm. For women, whose most important social role was to have children, the reproductive organs were central. Disorders of the reproductive system were blamed on devoting too much energy to non-reproductive pursuits.