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From the medical world to the public sphere

In the wake of this, many brands have seized the subject, whether cosmetics, thalassotherapy (the therapeutic use of seawater) or yoga retreats.

“The market for women over 50 offers many economic opportunities. On the other side of the Atlantic, several Hollywood actresses are delivering a whole discourse on menopausal well-being, because they’re also selling their brand,” adds the sociologist. In the U.S., public figures such as Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey have also spoken out about menopause.

This is part of a wider movement to highlight female experiences of painful menstruation, endometriosis, pregnancy, childbirth, sexual or gynaecological violence. This is what philosopher Camille Froidevaux-Metterie calls the “genital turn of feminism.”

“For a long time that expression made me laugh,” says author Elise Thiébaut, “but I’ve learned to appreciate it, because it opens up a possibility for our menopausal bodies, in all their diversity.”

After dealing with the taboo of menstruation in her book Ceci est mon sang (“This is My Blood”), Thiébaut now turns her attention to the menopause and andropause in Ceci est mon temps (“This is My Time”). Her main goal is to “produce a narrative that allows us to escape self-fulfilling prophecies: the idea that it’s going to be hard, that we’ll no longer have any value and that our sexuality will become catastrophic.”

“Anthropological research shows that neither the definition nor the experience of the menopause is universal.”

Having gone through this period herself, she says that she experienced moments of trial and difficulty but also of joy, freedom and opportunity. Incidentally, the latest data from France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research. (Inserm) shows that menopause is far from difficult for all women: between a fifth and a quarter of women suffer from severe symptoms that affect their quality of life.

The idea that menopause is a necessarily unpleasant period, synonymous with decline, is the “fruit of social representations which articulate sexism and ageism,” Charlap says. These representations are characteristic of our Western society.”

“Anthropological research shows that neither the definition nor the experience of the menopause is universal. In some so-called traditional societies, the menopause is associated with a valued status for women who will gain political, religious and social power,” the sociologist says.

The definition of menopause has also evolved with time, as has been the case in France since the invention of the word by a French doctor at the start of the 19th century. Today, it is defined as the end of ovarian function, and starts a year after menstruation ends.

To each her own

German journalist Miriam Stein prefers the more neutral term “climacteric,” which means “critical age,” for women as well as men. In her essay Hot Flashes: Breaking the Menopause Taboo, she writes, “it’s possible to write about the climacteric with fresh eyes, to turn over a new leaf, to put down on paper stories that are relevant and close to reality.”

Stein’s essay is an “invitation to see menopause neither as a metamorphosis rich in meaning nor as a decade-long existential crisis, but as a period during which, after puberty and pregnancy, hormones once again bring about changes in a life.”

From Greek, climacteric also has the advantage of covering all stages of the process, from premenopause through perimenopause and into menopause. As Charlap was able to observe during her investigations, each woman’s experience of this process is different depending on several factors, including the social environment, her perception of her body, her emotional context and her age.

No such thing as “the” menopause

“For me, the menopause does not exist because there is a different menopause for every woman,” says Sophie Kune, who created the Instagram account @menopause.stories in early 2020, four years after she was put into artificial menopause. “Each woman lives through menopause in her own way, according to her culture, her heritage and what she has experienced in her life,” Kune says.

Anne, a coach and speaker, still remembers the shock of discovering herself menopausal at the age of 42, which is close to the average range (between 45 and 55 in France). It’s only before the age of 40 that menopause is considered early.

“I had various symptoms, but I didn’t associate them with menopause because I didn’t see it coming until I was in my fifties, or even sixties.” Her first hot flash caught her by surprise during a lecture she was giving at a client’s home. “All of a sudden, I felt so cold I was chattering my teeth, and three minutes later I had drops falling from my forehead because I was so hot. It was my customer who took the initiative and took a break, before coming to ask me if I was all right,” she recalls. While menopause is more present in the public sphere, it remains a delicate subject to address in a professional context.

“It’s no longer taboo in the press or among friends, but when it comes to talking about it with healthcare professionals or in the workplace, there are still obstacles,” says Mathilde Neme, co-founder of the start-up Omena. Launched in 2022, the Omena app offers daily programs to help women better manage menopausal symptoms. “The users who benefit most are those who don’t have easy access to their GP or a gynecologist,” Neme explains.