In western culture, the prevalent language describing menopause is of loss, failure and decline, reinforcing a negative self-image in older women. It amplifies concerns about health and aging in a culture that prioritizes youth.
Negative views about reproductive aging in women have predominated in medical discussion for centuries. Once the link between menopause and estrogen levels was recognized in the 1950s, menopause was commonly labelled an ‘estrogen deficiency disease’ whose physical ‘symptoms’ needed to be treated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT).