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What is MENOPAUSE? In a conversation moderated by journalist KAREN DAVILA, five women weigh in on the facts, share the realities of their personal journeys, and guide us through the science of what's really happening in our bodies.

- BIANCA CUSTODIO.

The term “menopause” carries an irony: though experienced by all women, the term was formally coined by a man. French physician Charles Pierre Louis de Gardanne introduced it in the 1820s, drawing from the Greek words men (“month”) and pausis (“cessation”).

In “Body Stuff,” a TED Talk by OBGYN Dr. Jen Gunter, she discusses de Gardanne’s book Of Menopause: Or the Critical Age of Women, then considered cutting-edge science for exploring what happens when a woman stops being fertile. Medical interest in menopause grew in the mid-19th century, and by the 1930s, it was often described as a deficiency disease. Public perception on the phenomenon has come a long way since, but De Gardanne’s work marked the start of centuries of stigma around it. But menopause is a normal biological event, and the fear surrounding it is learned, not innate. It’s one that persists today, leading to shame, silence, and a lack of support among women.

Today, evolving research and open conversations are continuously reframing menopause from a debilitating disease to an empowering transition. To take after the words of feminist Rosetta Reitz, “I’m going to pull menopause out into the open, remove the cobwebs, clean it off, and look at it.”

Here, Vogue Philippines gathers five women for a candid conversation moderated by Karen Davila to debunk myths and lay down the facts: medical director and OBGYN Dr Sheree Bondoc, registered dietician and nutrition coach Chella Po, TV personality Joey Mead King, entrepreneur Joanna Preysler, and journalist Dyan Castillejo.

DEFINING THE TERMS