The transition from menstruation to menopause is still one of those under-discussed topics but through this book: 'Black and Menopausal - Intimate Stories of Navigating the Change.' Abena Sεwaa from AKADi Magazine gives her verdict on this book and highlights some of the physical, emotional and societal impact of this natural part of growing older.
I was intrigued to read a book that focused on the menopause journeys of Black women and one Black person who identifies as trans-masculine and non-binary.
Written from the perspectives of mainly women of Caribbean descent, my hope was that reading this book would clear up the mysteries behind this often ‘feared’ stage in a woman’s life.
Let’s face it, when people think of menopause, there’s generally a lot of negatives associated with it and not a lot of positives – unless you count an end to periods and the associated cramps, PMS and ‘having to watch what you wear at a certain time of the month’ as positives.
And yet, the inconvenience and suffering that is often associated with periods is also tied up with society’s perception of womanhood. Monthly bleeding might be hellish for many women of child-bearing age, but it is celebrated and valued in so many cultures.
My mother told me that it was commonplace to see girls paraded in celebration around her community in her hometown in the Asante Region of Ghana once they had their first period.
This coming-of-age rite was not just a girl’s passage into womanhood but also a signal to men in the area that she was 'ripe' and ready for marriage.
So when you are surrounded by these societal codes linked youthfulness, beauty and fecundity, what happens when you’re not able to fulfil them anymore?
This book explores the transition point between fertility and menopause in 16 chapters.
The Black body
Although it was my intention to race through this 208-page book, reading about the experiences of these women and trans man were, at times, triggering and meant I had to take regular breaks.
My main triggers were the reminder of how Black bodies are treated in the West and how that can be even more harrowing when you are at your most vulnerable health wise.
In Britain, we already know that Black women are around four times more likely to die in childbirth. We know that Black people, let alone Black women, are perceived to have a high-pain thresholds and are not offered pain relief as often as their white counterparts.
Added on to that, is the challenges some women face when accessing medical help during menopause, not being believed about their symptoms and not having suitable support systems around them. There was a lot to process.
The authors in this anthology discussed that bewildering period between having a regular monthly cycle to missed periods and developing a host of symptoms that were not immediately recognised as the start of that menopause journey.
There are over 50 symptoms linked to menopause. They include the more commonly known ones such as night sweats, brittle bones, memory loss, mood swings, weight gain to ones I wasn’t aware of, including vaginal prolapse.
Most stories came from an author’s experiences in a Western setting but what was interesting was the perspective was more relaxed when there were reference to life in the global South.
This is touched on by Onika Henry in her chapter entitled: Menopause - An Opportunity for Mindful Transition to Eldership and is one of the chapters that offered a more positive look at life after periods.
Onika talked about the Ju/’hoansi people of Botswana and the importance of elder caregiving which is considered to be ‘an important value and the responsibility of all adult children.’ Elders are associated with generative and life-giving activities and are felt to have special powers and may occupy leadership roles, she writes.
What I valued was the range of stories
I learnt that for Shaneka Lambert, her menopause journey started at 25 years old and prior to that, she had lived with low hormone levels, and an under developed womb and ovaries for her age.
Her chapter: ‘Since I Was 12 Years Old’ highlights how she was failed by members of the medical profession who did not realise when she was entering into premature menopause and kept fobbing her off. As a result, Shaneka was not able to make an informed decision on storing her eggs and potentially being a mother later on.
What I liked about this story was that it was taken from an actual conversation that Shaneka had with her cousin, which made the storytelling immediately engaging.
What I found challenging
This book isn't something that I could read in one sitting. As I said earlier, it was triggering to read stories that highlighted the similar experiences of being ignored or not believed.
It felt as though that lack of understanding about such a natural part of life has helped to make discussing it taboo. Hopefully having books like this will help demystify menopause and help those who have challenging symptoms to find the right support.
I liked the references to natural ingredients versus using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to temper the negative effects of menopause. I had no idea that women who had had cancer could not be prescribed HRT
because of it increasing the risk of certain cancers.
There is even a reference to eating yam from
Mbeke Waseme's chapter entitled 'Mama K's Ghana Experience, as a way to relieve some of the menopause symptoms. And this reference to eating other natural foods can be found in other chapters too.
However, these examples are ones that the authors tried themselves and it was hard to know what and how much of anything someone in a similar situation should use and when.
It would have been great to see more chapters that could provide clearer guidance on how women and trans men going through perimenopause and menopause can navigate it in the best possible way through adopting a healthier lifestyle.
More guidance from the insights of professionals would havebe valuable as well as more examples from the Global South where there may be different perspectives on navigating this menopause journey.
You can find out more about 'Black and Menopausal: Intimate Stories of Navigating the Change from publishers Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
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