Menopause - Holy Hot Flashes!

A Spiritual Take on
Menopause | Her.meneutics | Christianitytoday.com
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Holy Hot Flashes! A

Spiritual Take on
Menopause
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How the
mysterious life Gone-with-the-estrogen, do our sweet mothering filters shrivel
stage changes a and die as menopause turns women into Maxine incarnate?
woman's
We do indeed change emotionally, spiritually, and socially as
capacity to
our bodies age. Even if we take up rockclimbing at age 50 and
nurture others. live on wild-harvested fish, quinoa, and organic vegetables, we

Michelle Van Loon face decay. In our fallen world, there is an arc to our lifespan.
However, I'm not convinced that my desire or responsibility to
READ AS SINGLE PAGE nurture others is tied to the amount of estrogen in my body.

Doesn't caregiving take many forms throughout our lives?

As a child, I wept over the death of baby birds I'd tried to save
with worms and eyedroppers full of water. As a young teen, I
dedicated myself to being a good listener for my friends.
During my 20s, I gave birth to three babies, then raised them
throughout my 30s and 40s. During those years, I organized
Bible studies and homeschool support groups, and was
involved in many different community activities. At times, all
this nurturing should have landed me on the Barnum and
Bailey payroll.
As my nest has emptied, the care I give to others has changed
both scope and shape, as it must. I have more time now, but I
also have less energy. My nurturing comes as I spend time
with my two grandsons. I've also cared for elderly shut-ins in
need of companionship. I've mentored a number of young
women. I am a wife. I try to spend meaningful one-on-one
time with friends from all walks of life. Shoulder surgery and

OCT 28
2011

other recent health woes have left me less able to do some of

the in-the-trenches nurture I was once physically capable of.
But neither those woes nor my depleted estrogen exempts me
from God's command to love as he loves.
Fellow Her.menutics contributor Jennifer Grant offers a simple
way to help midlife women think about where to invest the
nurturing they have yet to give, even if they feel as though
they've flatlined in the caring department. She suggests,
simply, that we pay attention to what makes us cry.For some
at midlife, tears are an unwelcome companion, markers of the
depression that often comes with menopause. But tears speak
of sorrow, rage, regret, frustration, and joy - and may be a
directional signal that shows us where and how to care for
others and ourselves in the next years of our lives.
The real wisdom of menopause isn't birthed from our changing
physiology. It's in our maturing capacity to seek God's best for
those he's placed in our sphere of influence.

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October 2011

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Anna

Sep 11, 2012

It seems to me that the taboo subject of the menopause could be better aired and this article begins to
tackle a subject that is barely whispered about.
Menopause is a very individual experience as seen in the comments above, some ladies get it early, some
late and then some have no impact and others can barely crawl out of the door.
As someone who has been unwittingly in the process of peri-menopause without realising it for the last two
years I was stunned after my first hot flushes to discover that there was a reason for all the seemingly minor
symptoms, the signs were clearly there but no-one talked about it so I missed it.
I find that the most helpful passage to look at is Psalm 139 and in particular that God has made us for the
day ahead. It is very easy to lapse into 'it's a natural process' when thinking about the menopause and I
nearly did; but a lovely sister in Christ reminded me that it's still possible to desire sanctification and to
continue to seek Godliness.
I am now very aware that as a result of my symptoms I may be starting from 'the back foot' and the process
of peri-menopause means that I have to work twice as hard at guarding my tongue, loving people and
getting up in the morning (these are my issues). It is helpful that the brothers and sisters in Christ are aware
that I am going through this process and so give me extra love and understanding. We are all being refined.
On the subject of the books available to those of us enjoying this change in our lives, I would say that they
are helpful in helping us to understand out symptoms and the symptoms of others, however we do need to
review them carefully through the lens of the Gospel. There is clearly a need out there and until someone
comes up with a loving and grace-filled alternative I would say, read them but don't let them rule your life that's a job for the LOrd!

Mary Ann

LikeReply

Nov 8, 2011

Glad we are talking about this- I'm late 40's and wishing our Christian culture had an appealing narrative for
those of us in mid-life- especially those of us without kids. Sure I"m very involved in church doing this and
that, but am longing for something more compelling and challenging than just 'volunteer more' and go on
anti-depressants. Anyway, I"m going to check out the Richard Rohr books and see what they hold... I"m
glad Moses didn't really start his 'career' til he was 40! There's hope for us too. Its not over but sometimes it
feels like it.

Robyn Widmer

LikeReply

Nov 1, 2011

Paul, ...in sickness and in health... ring a bell? I'm a strong believer in marriage counseling, being in it
myself right now. Maybe that could help?

Robyn Widmer

LikeReply

Nov 1, 2011

I'm not convinced that caretaking "instinct" is completely rooted in biology, no matter what a person's age.
However. I do think that studies have shown that hormones make a difference. The washes of hormones

that boys and girls experience at puberty sure make a difference in their emotions and behavior! It doesn't
make sense to completely dismiss what science has shown to be true. There probably is some difference
that the loss of hormones that women experience in menopause makes a difference in their brains, just as it
does in their bones.
That difference will be to a different level for each woman and will be combined with many other factors that
cannot be easily measured. It might be highly variable, but it is probably there.
LikeReply

Nov 1, 2011

Ingrid Hewitt

I'm 50 and things are changing. I've always believed that this is a natural part of life and that I would go
through it as "naturally" as possible.
Recently had a conversation with someone who has come out the other side of this transition and it was
very sobering. She said that she had gone through perimenopause and menopause completely naturally,
treating the uncomfortable physical symptoms with supplements only. She regrets her decision to keep her
physician at arm's length during this time.
She can see now that her thinking was changed and clouded by hormone induced emotional swings.
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