@sarajaneho: In Chinese medicine, menopause is called “The Second Spring” (第二春, di er chun). Instead of framing menopause as a period of decline, it can be viewed as a new season of renewal—when the energy once devoted to reproduction can be redirected toward longevity, creativity, wisdom, and spiritual growth. OB/GYN Dr. Suzanne Gilberg also has a background in Ayurveda, where this stage of life has traditionally been associated with the idea of the “forest dweller”—a time of turning inward, gaining perspective, and moving into a different role in life. And this reverence for older females isn't uniquely human. In a number of species with long female post-reproductive lifespans, older females can play important roles in the survival and knowledge of the group. Orcas are one of the clearest examples: older females can help lead their pods and share ecological knowledge long after they stop reproducing. In many traditional frameworks, menopause marks the beginning of an entirely different kind of power. Listen to the episode “The Menopause Nobody Prepared You For — with Dr. Suzanne Gilberg” on my podcast HOT WATER
Sara Jane Ho
Region: US
Tuesday 18 August 2026 22:05:42 GMT
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Devoted2Makeup (Alex) 🇨🇦 :
One more way Western Patriarchy did us SO dirty
2026-08-19 13:14:22
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HeatherVickery :
I just saw a male doctor call it a disease .
2026-08-19 13:13:34
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queenboss 🇺🇲 :
but what did/do indigenous women do to get thru perimenopause? we need that wisdom
2026-08-19 12:19:52
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huckleberry (luffy's version) :
Living in a world made for men by men is so exhausting.
2026-08-19 19:50:42
7769
cillooeh :
We aren't broken. The health system is
2026-08-19 16:07:26
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ilovecuisine1 :
Post menopausal women are the libraries of wisdom
2026-08-19 15:02:38
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coco.coco.60640 :
I met a florist who told me menopause was the greatest thing that happened to her, she was suddenly at peace. I carry that with me.
2026-08-19 23:59:51
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mialouise1968 :
America tries to shame women into buying products or procedures
2026-08-19 04:27:47
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Katty :
bad bitches meeting by the babbling brook?
2026-08-20 21:45:03
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Gemma :
It pmo how the grey woman didn't let her speak I wanted to hear the Chinese perspective
2026-08-19 16:33:27
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WendellFly :
There’s so much childlikeness about the way I exist now. It makes sense to think if it as a second spring.
2026-08-21 05:09:20
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blondemombomb :
I need women like this in my life so bad :(
2026-08-20 15:12:44
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Chava :
women are so incredible
2026-08-19 15:47:36
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Rockley :
My friend lives in Hong Kong and her male doctor told her that Chinese women know how to “tough it out.” I think it’s a patriarchal thing not a cultural thing.
2026-08-20 16:15:56
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Ayeesha 🍉 :
I AM EXHAUSTED WITH THE PATRIARCHY
2026-08-21 10:01:03
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Maple Hill Homestead :
The second spring?! Yaaaaaas bitch
2026-09-16 23:19:09
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S.Janeybird.S :
I love the idea of a second spring, especially alongside the research I’ve been reading about menopause and the evolution of female longevity, and this is so fascinating in that context. The idea that our long post-reproductive lifespan may have actually evolved because older women still had enormous value to their communities really flips the decline narrative. It’s beautiful to see science beginning to describe in its own language what other traditions have long understood as a new season of life. 💜
2026-08-31 17:48:34
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Miah :
Only three species experience menopause. Us, elephants, and blue whales. The other two? Matriarchies. Women were meant to outgrow our reproductive state to be advisers and leaders.
2026-08-19 21:46:09
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user27352827293738 :
The Chinese do so many things better than us I think. The elderly stay much more active there and in the parks there’s all sorts of things to help with that.
2026-08-21 19:00:57
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Frank_Castle777 :
I think that this is something that Men could get into…
2026-08-22 12:55:32
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BikerShrink :
i always say menopause puts men on pause. might be the first time in our lives where our bodies urge us to put men on pause, decentering them and asking us to centre on our selves
2026-08-21 13:14:25
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Minzechen :
I call it reverse Puberty and going back to teenage and childhood wonders and hobbies makes it way better and more fun
2026-08-20 08:09:09
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анна зусмановская :
Women are so incredibly beautiful
2026-08-20 10:08:35
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starry1a :
Love China. It can call in the same breath menopause "second spring" and unmarried women 25+ "leftovers" 😂
2026-08-19 17:49:58
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chiquitabonitabanana :
Me, excited for Second Spring as a Garden Witch
2026-08-20 11:59:24
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