Why every daughter should know about her mother's menopause journey

-By Tamanna Singh

Growing up, I saw my mother go through menopause, and it was not a pleasant experience for her. Everything was hushed up; her emotional rollercoaster was written off as 'stress', and her loss of sleep was just 'part of the process'. As a teenager, I had no idea what was happening to her - and it wasn't until I started developing Menoveda that I realized all the struggles she had gone through - and how things could have been so much easier if only somebody had talked to her about it.

That is the experience I want to change for every daughter.

Menopause is a process that can last a number of years and affect a woman’s sleep, emotions, hormone levels, metabolism, heart health, bone density, and sense of self. However, in many Indian families, menopause is a taboo topic that is rarely openly discussed. As a result, daughters often do not know much about their mothers’ physical and emotional experiences. When a mother exhibits certain symptoms, her daughter may think she is nagging or aloof when she is actually struggling and needs support. Learning about menopause helps daughters to empathize with their mothers’ difficulties and support them through this challenging time.

Understanding menopause is vital for daughters because they also go through it themselves later in life. By learning about their mother’s experience, daughters can identify early signs of menopause and prepare for the changes and challenges it brings, including which symptoms require medical treatment.

There is also a less obvious advantage: breaking the intergenerational cycle of silence. By talking with her mother about menopause, an understanding daughter is likely to be more open-minded herself when the time comes for her to talk with her own daughter about the same subject. One conversation, then, has the potential to unlock dozens of others, helping an entire generation of women to break free from the pervasive silence surrounding menopause.

Menopause needs to be normalised within families, and daughters must take on their mothers’ teachings regarding menopause as their own, for future generations of women to do the same. It must be normalised because it is both informative and intrinsically valuable.

There is a cultural assumption that daughters should be supportive of mothers going through menopause. However, the cultural expectation should be that menopause education is a family affair. It must be normalised within families, passed from mothers to daughters as another intergenerational treasure, another invaluable part of womanhood.

The conversation a mother wishes she and her daughter could have been initiated by the daughter. A simple willingness to start that conversation can ease menopause for both the mother and daughter. In turn, both women will pass this invaluable lesson to their own daughters, setting in motion a chain of action that will improve women’s lives for generations to come.

(The author is a certified menopause coach & Co- founder of MENOVEDA, India's 1st menopause only brand)

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of WION.