Menopodcast Season 2 Episode 3

“Good Menopuase to You!”

“45 is the old age of youth and 50 is the youth of old age.”

We announce that we’re on iHeart Radio & TuneIn

((((Sarah’s audio is low))))

Sarah’s in the midst of a busy time, as is Julia, who’s about to leave the country for several months of work.

We introduce the new Bible - Menopause the Silent Passage by Gail Sheehy - author of several other Passages books, she chose to write this books as she herself went through menopause. The book was published about 25 years ago and we acknowledge the difference between now and then and how she talks about things. She’s not a doctor, so it’s more just telling people’s stories. Big thing is how no one talked about menopause.

She notes that a couple of generations ago, women’s life expectancy was like 48, and at that point we would have had 8 children, and then we’d have been DONE. But this generation has held off on childbirth, and have taken birth control, and we’re generally living longer - but maybe human biology isn’t ready for us to live this long. Interesting concept!

Plus there was a time when women just gave up at menopause age. They faded into invisibility or became shrill witches “Viragos”.

But now we have “2nd Adulthood” -- Looking ahead to another 40ish years  of living for us.  The need to know and the fear of knowing. It’s part of normal life.

Staggering Statistic: more than 37 women out of 100 have had a hysterectomy. Julia wonders why anyone would have an elective hysterectomy.

And we love the Hollywood connection in the book! Quote we loved from an entrepreneur woman in the book who had a 5 year old at home - “Now, at the peak of her productivity, she was feeling violated by this reassertion of her body’s biologic identity. There’s nothing efficient about the menopause thing.” We feel like we live separate from our body, maybe?  Sarah wonders about stress level and how does it contribute to menopause symptoms. And we all want the guarantees - if we do all the things, can we avoid menopause? We acknowledge that we still feel 27 inside, but we’re not - and that’s part of the tough pill to swallow. We are not having the Silent Passage - we’re having the podcast passage.

Ah, the age-old question - is there a menopause for men? Yes, but she doesn’t delve into it the book. We agree we’re excited to read the rest of the book.

How Hot Was Your Flash??? Neither of us have had any. Yay! Julia mentions frozen cherries! The best treat! Plus we talk about how we’ve been eating well, sleeping better, and taking better care of ourselves.

Our fave quotes this week - Julia: “Discipline is choosing between what you want NOW and what you want MOST.” Sarah: “A Goal without a Plan is just a Wish.”