‘The most important, the most useful, and strange though it be, the most revolutionary advice I can give to women who are entering upon the Change of Life is: not to worry, to be the mistress of their emotions and to carry on exactly as though nothing special were happening.’[1]
This was Marie Stopes’ advice to women in her 1936 book Change of Life. Stopes was better known for her earlier book Married Love which was one of the first books to openly discuss birth control and advocated equality in marriage and the importance of women’s sexuality. Her aim in the new book was to correct the myths around menopause and challenge much of the contemporary medical advice, as she explained:
‘This is revolutionary because as far as I can discover almost everyone who publishes advice on this subject emphasises the need of all sorts of restrictions that the woman must impose upon herself in her diet, her general habits and her pleasures. Some of the penalties imposed by the pundits on women at this time are monstrous.’[2]
Stopes strongly rejected the notion that women’s sex lives ended at menopause and emphasized that anticipation of menopausal troubles was as much a problem as any problems that did arise. Whilst this was sensible advice, it was not much help to those who did encounter challenging symptoms. For them, Stopes recommended several different mineral supplements such as calcium, as well as thyroid extract and ‘an extract of the ovary’ though she warned that the latter was not always effective.
Stopes’ book was an important one but by no means the only such advice book in the period. Self-help books have a long history, dating back centuries, and as a historian, I have used them to examine how certain subjects, like stress and menopause, were portrayed and understood. These books offer insight into the advice and treatments suggested for everyday readers, as well as changes in attitudes and remedies throughout the century. They provided a discreet means for people to seek guidance on topics they felt embarrassed to discuss openly, such as menopause, which was a source of anxiety and fear for many women during this period.
Many menopause self-help books were authored by female doctors, often gynaecologists or GPs. These authors sought to reassure ordinary women and alleviate their anxieties about menopause, which they encountered frequently among their patients. One common message was that most women experienced menopause without significant difficulties and often needlessly worried about it. Writing in 1934 G Courtenay Beale advised his readers:
‘It is best not to listen to “old wives’ tales” which however picturesque are untrustworthy and misleading, especially as so often the tellers of such tales seem to delight in increasing the nervousness and anxiety of their hearers. To repel all such tittle-tattle will greatly help a woman in keeping her balance during the crisis of her middle years.’[3]
Madeleine Gray writing in the mid-1950s reported the advice she was given before she had a hysterectomy which induced a medical menopause:
‘…some older women harped also on the theme ‘all the troubles are imaginary’. This seemed to be because they themselves had had no trouble, which is of course often the case. And some went to the other extreme and boasted how, instead of the troubles being imaginary, they had been tortured for years. While still others actually told me to expect suffering, ‘because suffering is the badge of all women.[4]
Unfortunately, this belief that suffering was an inherent aspect of being a woman was common and often led male doctors to dismiss women’s concerns.
Most advice for women focused on general lifestyle changes, such as advocating for fresh air, exercise, and even nude sunbathing (“air-bathing”). Reducing food intake and abstaining from coffee were recommended to avoid weight gain. Proper sleep was encouraged, with some books suggesting taking afternoon rests with feet elevated but advising against sleeping draughts. Women were encouraged to be stoical and practical, for example, Stopes advised the use of tweezers to remove unwanted facial hair.
However, it’s essential to acknowledge that these books were effectively advising women who had the time and resources both to buy and read them and put such advice into practice. Gardens to sunbathe in or afternoon rests were unlikely to be available to working-class women employed outside the home. For them, their only realistic option was to adopt Stopes’ “revolutionary” approach and continue with their daily routines, pretending that menopause was inconsequential. Whilst this undoubtedly worked for many, it left those who did struggle with menopausal symptoms to simply endure, reinforcing the sense that women’s lot was to suffer.
Self-help books on menopause offer valuable historical insights into the prevailing attitudes and beliefs surrounding menopause in the twentieth century. They reveal the efforts of female doctors to reassure and alleviate anxiety among women, challenging the perception that menopause was inherently distressing. While some of the advice offered was useful, it often overlooked the realities faced by working-class women and those experiencing severe menopausal symptoms. Despite the limitations, these self-help books remain a significant source for understanding the perceptions and experiences of menopause during this era.
[1] Marie Carmichael Stopes, Change of Life in Men and Women. (London: Putnam, 1936), p.134.
[2] Marie Carmichael Stopes, Change of Life in Men and Women. (London: Putnam, 1936), p.134.
[3] G. Courtenay Beale, Woman’s Change of Life: A Practical Handbook with Instructions for the Prevention and Treatment of Functional Disturbances with an Additional Chapter on Man’s Change of Life (London: George H Wales, 1934), pp 58-9.
[4] Madeline Gray, The Changing Years: What to Do about the Menopause (London: Alvin Redman Limited, 1956), 13.
Menopause: New Perspectives 