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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

"My menopause went undiagnosed"

29 replies

PatatiPatatras · 06/03/2024 23:58

This is popping up more and more in my timeline.
Maybe because IWD is upon us but it's nonsensical.
Menopause is not a disease. It's not diagnosed.
It's like saying my puberty went undiagnosed.
Women aren't broken. We might need support to get through the change but we're growing not failing.
Argh.
Rant over.

OP posts:
PatatiPatatras · 07/03/2024 01:45

I don't think this is a language nit-pick.

I'm really beginning to think people see being female as a problem that is solved or provided medically.

OP posts:
RawBloomers · 07/03/2024 00:46

I dislike the way we talk about normal processes as afflictions too. But I also think we need to not focus our time on tearing people down because of the language they choose. Can we not challenge the language while also reading the concern in the article and addressing that?

PatatiPatatras · 07/03/2024 00:41

Validation should not be synonymous with pathology.
It's telling that changes in women are recognised or validated if they are "illnesses".

She's suffering from pregnancy, menopause is undiagnosed, she's gone odd because of her period. Etc.

When the norm is odd then any abnormalities become more difficult to detect. It has taken decades for pcos, endo and fibroids to be diagnosed. This just makes things harder.

No other natural change in life is diagnosed. Children's teething is not diagnosed, neither are growth pains, nor is puberty or the greying and balding hair. It's just part of life. All of these things are also accompanied by other uncomfortable changes.

Women are not disease ridden.

OP posts:
OnlyLoveCanBreakYourHeart · 07/03/2024 00:04

I think it's more that it's a life experience that women want recognised. I want help with my peri-menopause so I went to my GP, I guess that's where the "diagnosis" comes from. It's so poorly acknowledged by the medical community that no wonder women want it validated and want support.