Many women are seeking medical help in order to restore their hormones. This stands in sharp contrast to men, who's hormonal changes known to take place in mid-life are not pathologized to the same degree. This pathology oriented perspective of adolescence and menopause prevents an understanding of a woman's different life stages as being normal and healthy. In this context it is notable how different menopause is perceived in other cultures. Recent studies on Japanese, Mayan, African, and Indian women are reviewed, and it becomes clear that biology and culture strongly interact creating diverse experiences of menopause.
Some cultures even lack the supposed universal symptom of menopause - the hot flash.
Originating from Denmark, I have often been asked why the teen-pregnancy rates in Europe are so much lower than in the Unites States. One of my arguments has always been that teenagers in the Scandinavian culture are raised with an emphasis on learning to take responsibility for their own lives. Adolescence is viewed not so much as a problem but rather as a fact which has to be accepted by everyone and dealt with by the individual. This applies to both young men and women who learn to be responsible adults. The decision to either practice abstinence and to postpone sexual activity or to include safe-sex measures then comes from the adolescent himself or herself and not as a ruling from above.