Menopause: A Biocultural Perspective

Lynnette Leidy Sievert

Published by Rutgers University Press 2006

Menopause

A Biocultural Perspective

Lynnette Leidy Sievert

In the series Studies in Medical Anthropology

https://doi.org/10.36019/9780813539997

Overview
Contents

About this book

Menopause is a biological reality for all women in their forties and fifties. Yet the way we think about the cessation of menstruation is influenced by a variety of factors. Cultural and technological influences combine with biology to transform this universal phenomenon into an experience that varies considerably between cultures and individuals. In this concise book, Lynnette Leidy Sievert draws on her own case studies from Puebla, Mexico, and western Massachusetts, as well as on comparative data from other studies in places such as Slovenia, Paraguay, and Hawaii, to explore the different ways that women experience menopause around the world. Sievert suggests that attempts by medical professionals to define the “normal” occurrence of menopause, including its typical onset and symptoms, may not be realistic when considering how lifestyle, nutrition, and workload can contribute to diverging realities. She explores how women feel about hysterectomies, chemotherapy, and other medical procedures and treatments that stop menstruation prematurely. She also considers recent advances in technology, including post-menopausal birth, which have turned what was previously an unavoidable end of fertility into something that can be postponed.

A unique comparative look at women’s experiences, this text brings new perspectives to the mainstream literature on the subject and invites readers to consider compelling questions about menopause, its meanings, and its future.

Author / Editor information

Lynnette Leidy Sievert is a professor of anthropology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Reviews

This is an engaging, nuanced and provocative compendium on menopause, and an outstanding example of biocultural anthropology.

— Kathleen O'Connor, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Washington

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
FIGURES Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
TABLES Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
PREFACE Publicly Available Download PDF	xiii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	xvii
1. Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. The Biological Basis of Menopause Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	32
3. Methods of Study Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	49
4. Age at Menopause Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	82
5. The Discomforts of Menopause Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	111
6. Hot Flashes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	127
7. Conclusions and Future Directions Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	162
NOTES Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	171
REFERENCES Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	177
INDEX Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	217
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	221

Language: English
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 240

eBook

Published: July 24, 2006
ISBN: 9780813539997