Menopause

Aboriginal Nurse, The, 2002

Native culture as seen from the traditional teachings, views aging and menopause as a time of renewal and wisdom ... when our duties of birthing and mothering could be exchanged for a clearer focus on our own gifts including more intense spiritual work however this was done.

Be sure to read Part 1 before working on this unit. See these other units for more issues related to menopause:

Unit 6 - Women and Sexual Health

Unit 7 - Men and Sexual Health

Unit 11 - The Residential School Experience

Unit 12 - Grandparents

Unit 18 - Reproductive Cancers

Introduction

Physically and medically, menopause is defined as the time when our moon cycles end; we no longer menstruate or have our period ... In contrast, native culture as seen from the traditional teachings, views aging and menopause as a time of renewal and wisdom, sharing through the grace of grand parenting ... not just your own kin, but the youth of the nation. For women, it was seen as a state when our duties of birthing and mothering could be exchanged for a clearer focus on our own gifts including more intense spiritual work however this was done.1

While not nearly as positive as in traditional times, attitudes toward and experiences of menopause have changed a great deal in the last decades. Both Aboriginal and nonAboriginal women are reclaiming the best aspects of this important time in our lives. The information and health care we receive is improving and people are talking more openly about what was once a taboo topic. Women are using herbal, traditional and prescription medicines to ease some of the less pleasant physical symptoms of menopause. Nowadays, women have more options to pursue other aspects of our lives as we age.

Still, there are many First Nations, Inuit and Metis women who may have severe physical problems related to menopause, who see this time as one of loss and sadness and who do not have access to supportive and

knowledgeable health care providers. Family and friends, partners and health care providers can do much to support all women on our journey into the Grandmother years, and ensure we have the respect and honour we deserve.

Reclaiming the Moon

A recognition of the earth cycles in relation to female cycles can also help

women who are ending their menstruation. Maria Campbell's (Metis author of Halfbreed) reclamation of traditional understandings about the moon has helped her through menopause. Aligning herself with nature has allowed her to understand more about her own body. As Campbell says in A Recognition of Being: Reconstructing Native Womanhood, this is an understanding she had to reclaim:

When I started my menstrual cycle, I didn't pay attention to those teachings, because who talked about the moon when they talked about menstruation in the 1950s? But as I grew older and I went back to the old ways, I started to pay attention to my body and how the moon affected me. Once I understood that, then I could work with her and it helped me go through my change and all of those women things. I never really had a bad time because I understood how the moon affected me, and I was able to teach that to my daughters. I think it made a difference for them. In Cree, the moon is Kookoomnow - Grandmother. How can she hurt us if we work for her?2

What is Menopause?

Menopause is a natural process that women go through as the child-bearing years come to an end and the ovaries stop releasing eggs every month. The hormones estrogen and progesterone, which prepare the uterus for pregnancy each month, decrease considerably, although small amounts of estrogen may be produced. In the medical sense, menopause is complete when you have not had a period for 12 months. Women with Type 1 diabetes may experience menopause earlier. Perimenopause, which means the period leading up to menopause, usually happens slowly over many years. Menopause affects how women feel physically and emotionally. Because every woman is unique, her menopause does not start at the same time or affect her the same way as everyone else.

Menopause is part of a woman's natural process of aging. It marks the end of fertility and therefore freedom from the fear of pregnancy and usually the responsibilities of child rearing. However, many women in midlife care for young grandchildren and are actively involved in family and community life.

Feeling Grief and Sadness

Some women experience more intense grief and sadness as they go through menopause. They find themselves reliving the pain of residential school experiences, feeling sadness and regret about broken relationships, and despair concerning their families and communities. Many women also report coming to terms with these feelings and experiences in new ways, sometimes becoming more spiritual and connected to others, and finding ways to channel their anger in new directions.

Some women benefit from joining a support group or talking with friends.

The healing circle helped me ... Because I was having a problem with my daughter and I was feeling really hurt inside, and it kind of helped to talk about it and realize that I wasn't alone in this world ... and realizing that the other women understood, that they've been through it and all that, and they offered encouragement ... After I left the group, I didn't have this ache in my heart that I had when I went there that morning. It just kind of made it a little easier for me.3