The untold story of menopause

“For me, it kicked in in my late 40s. I didn’t even know what it was because we don’t talk about these things in our society and no one prepares you for anything. Growing all I knew was that one day, my periods would stop,”

62 year old Jane Gogodus shares her experience on her first experience with menopause.

At her age, she has gone through all stages of womanhood, but menopause stands out as one of the most challenging ones.

“I started having hot flashes and did not understand what was happening. I was feeling hot and cold at the same time and sometimes I was sweating profusely. Then I began having a lot of certain health issues,” she recalled.

Gogodus, one of Malawi’s longest-serving journalists did not initially realize that the symptoms were linked to menopause until she began researching online.

Emotionally, she said the journey was even more difficult.

“It was a roller coaster because I was all over the place. I was also having a lot of mood swings. I felt depressed and I was not the same”

“I started having hot flashes and did not understand what was happening”

Gogodus further said that people around her often misunderstood her sudden shifts in mood. But later realized that the lack of open conversations about menopause leaves women unsupported and isolated.

“Given what I now know, I would encourage people to open up more and seek the information that they need to know” she said.

Her family understood the situation later, when she finally discussed it openly.

According to Martha Kamanga, Associate Professor in the School of Maternal, Neonatal and Reproductive Health at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), menopause is a natural biological process.

Kamanga elaborates that menopause occurs when the ovaries stop releasing eggs and producing key reproductive hormones adding that most women experience menopause between ages 45 and 55, though some begin much earlier.

She breaks down in stages namely; the premenopausal transition, the final menstruation, and the post-menopausal phase, noting that symptoms vary widely.

“The common symptoms include the hot flashes and night sweats, sleep disturbances, decreased libido, mood swings, memory issues, weight gain, joint pains and headaches,” Dr Kamanga said.

Gogodus said treatment options are limited for most women.

“There’s not much assistance they can give you so there are oestrogen replacement tablets one can take,” she said.

Gogodus recalled experiencing severe migraines and said her gynecologist helped her understand the hormonal changes.

“Some of just treatis the symptoms but that’s quite expensive and not many people can afford this in Malawi,” she said.

Dr Kamanga also shares on treatment options.

“Some of the treatment could be symptomatic, this is called hormonal replacement therapy or others, they use the hormonal contraceptives,” she said.

For many Malawian women, especially in rural areas, menopause remains misunderstood.

Usla Kafulafula, Associate Professor at KUHeS, said awareness is still low.

“Others have been treated for typhoid, malaria, and what have you,” she noted, adding that some institutions attempt awareness campaigns, however, they remain limited.

Meanwhile, Health advocate George Jobe, who is the Executive Director of the Malawi Health Equity Network, echoed similar concerns.

“In Malawi, people do not discuss menopause, and there is no sensitization. As such, when it happens it affects some women psychologically,” he said.

He warned that lack of understanding can even affect marriages.

Jobe urged that menopause should be treated as a health issue that needs deliberate sensitization.

“Menopause should be discussed as a health issue. Someone must be prepared to know that one time they shall miss their monthly periods,” he said.

He further calls for massive sensitization on the topic that can be packaged as part of antenatal clinics, to prepare the women.

For Gogodus, what is needed most is information and open conversations.

“I wish women could know more, and I think time has come now that we talk about it openly. Lack of understanding often leads to stigma, especially in rural communities. Men and young people must also be informed.” she said.

Gogodus highlights, “It’s not something that should be hidden under the carpet. It’s not something to be embarrassed about.”

According to the World Health organisation and the Malawi Demographic and Health Survey of 2015 to16, menopause remains one of the least discussed yet most impactful stages in a woman’s life, and the voices of women like Jane Gogodus reveal just how much silence surrounds it.

Her experience shows that many women endure physical, emotional and psychological changes without understanding what is happening to them or receiving the support they need.

Experts agree that the lack of awareness, especially in rural communities, leaves countless women misdiagnosed, misunderstood or even stigmatized.

As Gogodus and health professionals emphasize, Malawi urgently needs open dialogue, wider sensitization and stronger health systems that recognize menopause as a critical women’s health and dignity issue.

Breaking the silence is not just an act of awareness, it is an act of care, respect and empowerment for every woman navigating this natural but challenging phase.