Cultural Differences in Menopause - Research Paper Example

Cultural Differences in Menopause Introduction Different cultures present varying views on menopause. This research seeks to reveal how the western culture, and that of Asia view menopause, and particularly with the respect to the culture of Japan. Menopause refers to the permanent stoppage of the basic function of the femalesovaries which includes the maturation and release of ova and the release of hormones which induces the development of uterine lining and the eventual disintergration of uterine lining (commonly referred to as menses). Menopause is a condition which normally afflicts women in their late fourty’s and early fifty’s and it implies that a woman’s fertile phase is over (Santoro, 2002). Studies across different cultures have ascertained that there are indeed considerable distinctions in the views and attitudes that are held about menopause and hence the type of menopausal symptoms experienced by women from culture to culture. Cutural attitudes towards menopause may vary, from its being seen as a normal part of female aging process course to its being considered a hormorne-deficiency ailment which leads to acute, psychological and physical symptoms requiring medical attention (Santoro, 2002). Asian versus Western views Women in Japanese and other Asian nations such as Indonesia, China, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Malaysia are viewed as having fewer menopausal symptoms compared to their counterparts in the United States. In Japan, menopause (referred there as konenki) is believed to start in early fourty’s and it may extend until the age of 60. Here menopause is often seen as the time when the body experiences an alteration in its balance and the Japanese consider this alteration as resulting from both biological and cultural factors. Many women in Japan are hardly alarmed by menopause. This in part has been attributed to the connotation of the word “konenki” which stands for renewal and regeneration (Lock, 1994). Unlike in Japan, in the west menopause is hardly regarded as a time for regeneration and renewal, but rather as a dreadfull and inevitable period in a woman’s life. There are clear cultural differences between konenki as used in Japan and menopause as it is used in the western cultures. As a word of Greek origin, the menopause consists of two segments: men which means “ month” and pausis which means “to stop”. The word menopause therefore offers a connotation with no more profound meaning other than that a woman’s monthly periods comes to an end. Japanese’ menopausal symptoms versus those American’s It has often been pointed out that the key reason as to why Japanese women are less prone to menopause symptoms may be due to their dedication to proper diet (Lock, 1994). Many are those who feel that the regular American diet which consists of high levels of harmful fats and less fibre, results in production of excessive estrogen thereby causing women to experience a remarkable drop of estrogen when their ovaries begin to produce limited levels of it. It is further believed that the generous consumption of iso flavones and phytoestrogens in Asian cultures plays an important role in reducing hormonal imbalance. As of now, Japanese women have the longest life expectancy on the globe, they also have the least cases of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, allergies, diabetes and arthiritis. The Japanese statistics for osteoporosis are much lower compared to those in North America. And their cases of breast cancer are merely a third of those found in America. Researchers are thus highly convinced that that the vibrant health exhibited by scores of Japanese women can be attributed to proper diet, reliable national healthcare system and relentless commitmeent to regular exercise regimen. The realization that hot flashes and other symptoms are indeed controllable during menopause, can make women in the west coscious of the fact tha, whether it is alterations in diet, stress management, hormonal balance or exercise, they do possess considerable measure of control over their own menopause. Mayan optism versus American Apprehension (fear) Women belonging to various sections of Mayan region have been studied to determine the attitude of their culture towards menopause, and researchers have been fascinated to realise that many of these women hardly get to experience what are considered as the common menopausal symptoms: mood swings, hot flashes and insomnia (Lock, 1994). Statistics have shown that Mayan females generally enter into menopause at around the age of 44 years. But of noteworthy is the fact that here menopause is considered by many as a phase of higher status and freedom. This is a sharp contrast to the western view where the menopause is seen as a period of constant sadness and depression. Whereas one might be intrigued about the Mayans source of positivity and good health, it is important to realise that a female’s menopausal symptoms should not be analyzed in isolation, that such symptoms are better studied within various contexts such as genetic, geographical, nutritional and cultural. This explains why the west has failed on matters related to menopause: it attempts to trivialise significance of menopause by approaching it from the biological context alone while there are clearly othe factors involved. On ther hand, not only do the Mayans on have a natural diet, they have a laid back approach towards life both of which help in lessening menopausal symptoms. Even more important is the fact that a new status is bestowed upon Mayan women when they reach menopause; they usually become a part of community’s spiritual leadership (Santoro, 2002). The common view in many indigenous cultures such as the Maori, Mayan and Iroquois is that, post menopausal females should be regarded as leaders in the community where a huge measure of status and power is bewtowed upon them. In these communities, menopause marks the shift from ordinary community membership to that of spiritual leadership. Within the shamanic cultures such as the Cree women and the Mayan women — it is necessary for females to enter menopausal phase in order to gain healing and shamanic powers. Traditional wisdom here has it that menstrual blood menses has the ability to plant life in the womb, and therefore by reaching at a point when they are able to retain that “wise blood,” women enter into the phase of “wise womanhood” because wise blood is finally retained within their bodies. Hence they are given powers of healing and priestesshood. Japanase respect for age related experience and wisdom and the American contempt for elderly women The western societies hardly seem to value that wisdom which is acquired through experience particularly if such wisdom is related to a woman’s body. The Mayans and the Japanese on the other hand are known for the huge respect they have for their aged population. In both cultures, experience is an important factor in learning, and to become an elder is to gain honor. This contradicts Freud’s theory which reinforces the American view of menopause. According to Freud, a woman’s power is based on her ability to concieve, thus the life of a post menopausal woman is of little importance (Lock, 1994). Cultural attitudes towards menopause and their influence on the symptoms experienced by women There is considerable prove that a society’s perceptions in regard to menopause do determine the symptoms experienced by its post menopasual women (Lock, 1994). If a woman is made to belief that she will experience hot flushes during menopause, then she is invariably likely to experience such symptoms when she arrives at such a threshhold. In America, a doctor attending to a postmenopausal woman who has hot flashes is likely to describe her situation as a “problem”, before proceed to write a prescription. A Mayan woman experiencing similar conditions, on the other hand, may regard such symptoms as simply inconsequential and chose to proceed with her daily chores undettered (Santoro, 2002). When a woman is made to see menopause as a medical problem or as a disease, she thereby begins to consider this phase as a period of sickness and herself as a patient. Women concerns and fears in regard to menopause differ between cultures, and they can therefore determine the conditions that a woman experinces during menopause. Thus women need to look at menopause through different cultural lenses. This way, they will be able to seen the so called “symptoms” in different light. Instead of getting apprehensive about menopausal symptoms, women from western cultures should perhaps, learn to loosen up and begin to view these signs as initiations into slightly different versions of themselves. Conclusion: Different cultures present varying views on menopause. Various studies in different cultures reveal that there are distinctions in the views and attitudes that are held about menopause and thus the type of menopausal symptoms experienced by women from culture to culture. 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