Menopause and the Joy of Plants

This post is mostly about menopause. It’s also a little about being disregarded by medicine and culture, a little about the importance of taking responsibility for decisions regarding our own bodies and health, and a little about how plants can help with all these things.

Menopause is technically a moment in time- the point at which a woman has ceased menstruating for 12 consecutive months- but in the body it is a process that takes years to unfold and reveal itself. It’s like puberty for adults, only moving from reproductive to post-reproductive- and just as hormonally wild and crazy and emotionally raucous. Menopause generally occurs sometime between ages 40 and 55 and it is different, sometimes radically so, for every person who goes through it. It’s an important passage for every woman who lives long enough to make it to her post-reproductive years. In ancient Greece (around 700 BC) half of women were dead before their mid-30s. Living to an age when a second major hormonal shift occurs is definitely a big deal. There is no way around it and yet it is rarely discussed and never outwardly embraced for being a transformational and creativity enhancing  experience.

(Here’s another article worth reading.)

I recently hosted a Q&A information sharing session on Zoom on the topic of menopause and I’m still so humbled but the enthusiasm of the participants, the openness of the discussion, and the generosity and the sharing of hard-earned wisdom. The women who had been through the process talked about how doctors often let us down as we began on the journey and the women earlier along shared how confusing and isolating it feels to navigate the changes alone.

And here’s a big reminder that came out of the talk. We have choices about our reproductive life (fewer and fewer all the time, it seems) and when we are finished being reproductive it feels there is very little time and attention paid to our needs and requests from modern medicine. I had both positive and negative experiences seeking help from doctors for some of my symptoms and others in the group had similar tales of feeling both reluctantly helped or entirely disregarded.

As wise women we know that we do have choices about our health and our bodies and here is where the joy of plants comes in. Many easily grown herbs are helpful in navigating this monumental change and in keeping us strong and healthy and vibrant on the other side of it. So no matter how hard or easy the journey through menopause is for you, plants can support you.

They can help you build and maintain strong bones (horsetail, nettle, oats)

Help with headaches, hot flashes, emotional swings (garden sage)

Rebuild or maintain hormonal balance (red clover)

And so much more. I encourage you to talk to an herbalist in your community if you are needing support through this major life event.

Lastly, two books were talked positively about during the discussion and I will share them here:

Christiane Northrup : The Wisdom of Menopause

Susun Weed: New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way

Nothing I say is intended to diagnose or treat or be any kind of call to action - your health is your responsibility and it is a privilege and a right to care for and make decisions about our own bodies. One that we must claim at every opportunity. 

may the highest good be served.