“The horror of this living decay”: Women's negotiation and resistance of medical discourses around menopause and midlife

The regimes of knowledge produced by science and medicine which act to circulate ‘truths’ about menopausal women tell us that decay, atrophy, and psychological distress are the inevitable outcome of the end of fecundity. Hormone Replacement Therapy is portrayed as legitimate, or even necessary, medical management for the rest of a woman's life. However, a significant proportion of women resist these negative discourses as they are at odds with their lived experience. In interviews with 21 Australian women, midlife experiences were positioned as positive, with reports of increased confidence and wisdom from experience, greater time for self, and increased self-awareness and self-worth. A number of women reported feeling some sadness in relation to time passing and the physical markers of aging, but this was not presented as a matter of serious concern. It is concluded that this reflects women's ability to negotiate and resist medical discourses associated with menopause, positioning midlife a time of change and positive development.