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Menopause
The stages of both early and middle adulthood bring about a gradual decline in fertility,
particularly for women. Eventually, women experience menopause,the cessation of the
menstrual cycle, which usually occurs at around age 50. Menopause occurs because of the
gradual decrease in the production of the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, which
slows the production and release of eggs into the uterus. Women whose menstrual cycles have
stopped for 12 consecutive months are considered to have entered menopause (Minkin & Wright,
2004). [13]
Researchers have found that women’s responses to menopause are both social as well as
physical, and that they vary substantially across both individuals and cultures. Within
individuals, some women may react more negatively to menopause, worrying that they have lost
their femininity and that their final chance to bear children is over, whereas other women may
regard menopause more positively, focusing on the new freedom from menstrual discomfort and
unwanted pregnancy. In Western cultures such as in the United States, women are likely to see
menopause as a challenging and potentially negative event, whereas in India, where older
women enjoy more social privileges than do younger ones, menopause is more positively
regarded (Avis & Crawford, 2008).[14]
Menopause may have evolutionary benefits. Infants have better chances of survival when their
mothers are younger and have more energy to care for them, and the presence of older women
who do not have children of their own to care for (but who can help out with raising
grandchildren) can be beneficial to the family group. Also consistent with the idea of an
evolutionary benefit of menopause is that the decline in fertility occurs primarily for women,
who do most of the child care and who need the energy of youth to accomplish it. If older
women were able to have children they might not be as able to effectively care for them. Most
men never completely lose their fertility, but they do experience a gradual decrease in
testosterone levels, sperm count, and speed of erection and ejaculation.