Menopause is a condition that affects every woman in her lifetime, but it is one of the least talked about. It is a medical condition where there is no menstruation for12 trailing months, and it occurs between ages 45 and 55, but the global average age is 51 years. It is projected that more than one billion women will have gone through menopause by the year 2025, yet it is one of the topics that remain hushed.
“Biologically, it’s a dramatic time. Lower levels of estrogen and progesterone stimulate hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, and changes in metabolism. Research reveals that 80% of women suffer from symptoms of vaginal flushing and sweats, whereas 60% of women complain of sleep disturbances.”
Coming back to your question about whether it has a profound effect on a woman’s life, yes, it does. It influences her health, her sexuality, her look, her sense of well-being. Many women find that their pelvic area has gotten drier. Many find that they’re less interested in sex. Many find that they’re heavier. Many find that their appearance has changed significantly.
But menopause is a physical experience that has an emotional component to it. Mood swings, depression, and loss of concentration, accompanied by forgetfulness, can take a toll on a woman’s level of confidence and productivity, especially if a woman’s workplace does not take menopause seriously. In Kenya, women’s rights groups point out that older women in menopause are “abandoned by the health care system with inadequate access to hormones.” Stigma against poorer women who go through menopause can be so deep-seated that many women in developing countries remain “silent because they feel it’s a normal part of aging.”
However, recent initiatives are slowly rising to the occasion to break the silence. In August 2025, the first Menopause Conversation in Kenya took place in the city of Nairobi. This occasion was led by Dr. Mercy Korir, who pointed out the reality that half the population spends a quarter of their lives in poor health due to menopause but only receives 1% of the research budget. The pertinent issue regarding menopause in Kenya requires attention to the fact that the stigma on menopause is only a dimension of the denial of women’s sexual and reproductive rights.
To end the silence is to go beyond health to issues of justice and dignity. Women should be able to go to work knowing that their employer understands the implication of menopause on productivity, go home to find understanding rather than judgment among family members, and go to a healthcare system where answers rather than ignorences are given to them. Menopause is neither a disease nor an end but a transformation to be celebrated by understanding and recognition.
Through our depiction of menopause in newspapers, we break down barriers and encourage conversations to be started. We emphasize that women’s bodies, every stage in their development, are important. We also keep in mind that silence has never helped in the progress achieved but only voices.
Adiambo is Kenyan student at Zetech University and the President of the Journalism Student Association of Kenya. She can be reached at vyonaadhiambo3@gmail.com
