Menopause

I am writing a new story about a woman giving birth in her early forties.

My world has about 16-17th century level of technology, and the magic has quite a "technological" feel to it. The people's knowledge of physiology is very advanced due to the nature of the magic. The particular country I am writing about feels somewhat medieval.

My heroine can give birth that late because people with magic (usually nobles) are able to heal and maintain their bodies very well, and have a longer lifespan than people without magic (usually plebes). They also have birth control, but only if they have the magic (so about 10% of the population - including my MC).

A male insults my MC, attributing her mood swings to menopause. They know what menopause is, and they know that after menopause women cannot give birth.

I feel unsure about using the word "menopause." Do you think I should go ahead and use it, or will it feel anachronistic somehow? Should I use some kind of metaphor for it, like "hot waves"? I want my readers to be very clear on what is being implied. I cannot sweep this under the carpet (I am going to talk about birth control too, but that is going to be relatively easy).

Thank you for your advice.

Awesome answers, everyone. Thank you so much!

czjaba said:

I agree with IdiotsRUs about 'the Change.' I just think that if I were reading a story set in the 16 - 17th century and came across the word 'menopause,' I would stop and think 'huh?'

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It is not set in 16-17 century. It is set in a fully developed secondary world. But certainly they did not have Greeks, so I'd rather use some other word. "The Flush," I think, will work well.

The heroine is not yet menopausal. She is 41, and indeed is going to have a baby. But she is being insulted by a young male and that is what he says.

If only 10% of the population has access to healthcare (i.e. magic), then menopause will start early for 90% of the population, and thus the insult will really sting. I think.

cheers,
Rose

Saanen said:

I hear people call it "the change" or "the change of life" at least as often as I hear the word menopause. I think I'd be confused if I came across "the flush" unless it was absolutely clear in context.

Also, I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure the age at which a woman enters menopause has more to do with genetics than with physical health. And lack of modern/magical health care doesn't mean everyone becomes decrepit the moment they hit 40.

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I've never heard "the change," but it is good to know. I am not a native speaker.

Let me reiterate again, this is not a fact, it is an insult. I think it is not a stretch that a man in his twenties would insult a woman in her forties by dismissing her rage for a menopausal mood swing. Please tell me if it is wrong, and if so, why.

My society is very layered, and indeed I am not implying that everyone becomes decrepit by 40.

Saanen said:

You might actually consider if your 20-year-old male would even know enough about menopause to use it as an insult. How coy is your society when it comes to reproduction, and how widespread is knowledge about reproduction? It's one thing to know that older women can't have babies and another to understand that menopause comes with a variety of hormonal fluctuations that can cause irritability and mood swings. Unless you've got a specific reason for the insult to be about menopause, you might just make it a more general age-related insult (something like "old people are so crabby" or the like).

Anyway, it's an interesting point. I've never thought about menopause in a fantasy setting before.

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As I said, the nobles' knowledge of physiology and life-cycles is very good, due to the nature of the magic. The nobility has birth control and very open sexual morals. Spouses of both sexes can and do keep lovers. Such behavior is not considered infidelity as long as they have children within the marriage and do not engage in bestiality (i.e. have a relationship with a person of different race). The morals of course are different for magic-less plebes.

The woman in question had been heavily pressured for years to settle down and give birth, which she had resisted, so yes, her reproductive patterns had very much been the topic of discussion in the family for years. The young man in question is her nephew and liege-lord.

No, I cannot swap this insult for any other. You are right in saying these issues are not often found in fantasy, and this is the story where they will be explored.