Medicalization of Sexuality Parallels Medicalization of Menopause
Medicalization of Sexuality Parallels Medicalization of Menopause
Grateful for the chance to further connect the dots, I find the
parallels between the medicalization of sexuality and the medicalization
of menopause very striking. The medicalization of a condition is to make
it a disease, the cure for which a medical prescription becomes the first
line of defense. The patient then risks relying on the efficacy of the
medicine rather than relying on life or lifestyle changes which might have
either prevented or alleviated the condition in the first place.
For those who see menopause as an endocrine disorder, hormone
replacement is mandatory. Nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, and
mental health assessments are distant corollaries. A physician’s office is
where a woman can get a prescription for hormones, but rarely the place
where she can get perspective on how the physical symptoms of menopause
fit into the larger picture of herself as a mid-life woman facing an empty
nest, financial difficulties, ageism, career burn-out, social and extended
family pressures, etc. A holistic model of menopause views menopause as a
natural condition with physical and emotional symptoms. This model
assesses all the bio-psycho-social quality of life issues facing mid-life
women and offers a broad array of treatments in which hormone therapy is
one of many.
Similarly, a holistic approach to sexual health calls for a bio-
psycho-social assessment giving equal weight to mental health
interventions, medical, and complementary practices like acupuncture, and
lifestyle changes like diet, exercise, and stress reduction.
Incidentally, I was surprised to read in these responses that the
Carla Dionne who volunteered to be a spokesperson for Pfizer on what
sildenafil did for her FDS is the same Carla Dionne who credited aerobic
and weight bearing exercises with the return of her sexual energy and
response. (Berman & Berman, p. 185-87).
Berman, J & Berman, L. For Women Only. Henry Holt and Company:
New York, NY, 2001.
Lenore M. Pomerance, MSW
Menopause Counselor
Washington, D.C.
Rapid Response:
Medicalization of Sexuality Parallels Medicalization of Menopause
Medicalization of Sexuality Parallels Medicalization of Menopause
Grateful for the chance to further connect the dots, I find the
parallels between the medicalization of sexuality and the medicalization
of menopause very striking. The medicalization of a condition is to make
it a disease, the cure for which a medical prescription becomes the first
line of defense. The patient then risks relying on the efficacy of the
medicine rather than relying on life or lifestyle changes which might have
either prevented or alleviated the condition in the first place.
For those who see menopause as an endocrine disorder, hormone
replacement is mandatory. Nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, and
mental health assessments are distant corollaries. A physician’s office is
where a woman can get a prescription for hormones, but rarely the place
where she can get perspective on how the physical symptoms of menopause
fit into the larger picture of herself as a mid-life woman facing an empty
nest, financial difficulties, ageism, career burn-out, social and extended
family pressures, etc. A holistic model of menopause views menopause as a
natural condition with physical and emotional symptoms. This model
assesses all the bio-psycho-social quality of life issues facing mid-life
women and offers a broad array of treatments in which hormone therapy is
one of many.
Similarly, a holistic approach to sexual health calls for a bio-
psycho-social assessment giving equal weight to mental health
interventions, medical, and complementary practices like acupuncture, and
lifestyle changes like diet, exercise, and stress reduction.
Incidentally, I was surprised to read in these responses that the
Carla Dionne who volunteered to be a spokesperson for Pfizer on what
sildenafil did for her FDS is the same Carla Dionne who credited aerobic
and weight bearing exercises with the return of her sexual energy and
response. (Berman & Berman, p. 185-87).
Berman, J & Berman, L. For Women Only. Henry Holt and Company:
New York, NY, 2001.
Lenore M. Pomerance, MSW
Menopause Counselor
Washington, D.C.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests