The gynecologist and columnist on health and women in The New York Times Jen Gunter, author of “Manifesto for Menopause” (Dome Books), explains in an interview with Efe that women need to speak louder regarding this phase of their lives and demand reliable information regarding what is happening in their body.
“The negative view of menopause, the conception of menopause as a disease, is a construction of patriarchy that rules in Western societies like ours, in which men decide what they find or not acceptable or desirable. They get older and we’re just getting older, “Gunter said.
The author of “The Bible in the Vagina” also claims to live a “feminist menopause” which, in her opinion, means “not feeling alluded to by anything that patriarchy has to say regarding you, as if you are not so pretty.” or you have no value anymore, just because they have imposed this metric on women. ”
The gynecologist and obstetrician regrets that women are so uninformed regarding what they will experience in their own bodies. “We deserve reliable data and less myths and legends,” he said.
“For too long women have accepted that what measured their value in society was what men thought, to the point that many heterosexual women have experienced the social pressure that their lives only made sense with a man next to them. “He points out.
On the fact that there have been those who over the years have called menopausal women “hysterical”, Gunter believes that no one should endure insults or contempt because this is “emotional violence”.
“No one has to decide what you’re worth, just you,” said Gunter, adding that the paradox is that insecurities can arise from social pressure at an age when women achieve their full knowledge and achieve more personal goals. his life.
“When patriarchal society tells us the story of menopause, it tells us a story of lost youth, fragility and loss of relevance. The story you have to remember is that of your worth, your ability to make decisions and your own voice,” he said.
He goes on to point out all the “positives” that menopause brings with it: to be afraid of getting pregnant once more. ”
And he adds: “Also, regarding headaches, it’s not that your brain is oxidized by lack of estrogen, it’s that it contracts because parts of the brain are growing. Many women talk regarding the mental clarity they feel when the climax ends. “Your brain is improving. Your brain is improving.”
Asked if she thinks there would be more medical research and pharmaceutical resources if menopause happened to men, Gunter sees it as “obvious.”
“For a long time, medicine and research have been a men’s thing, which is why the impact on women of medicines and other health resources has been less studied,” laments the gynecologist and obstetrician.
“Women want more information regarding menopause and this knowledge can reduce suffering. Knowing what’s going on in your body, as well as not being the only one to hear what you’re feeling, is a powerful medicine,” she says.
She adds: “Objective information empowers women to make health decisions that work for them; you can’t be an informed patient with inaccurate data. Understanding how your own body works should not require an act of feminism, but it is. And there seems to be no greater act of feminism than talking regarding a menopausal body in patriarchal society. ”
