Pog laus, tsis coj khaub ncaws lawrm: The meaning of menopause in Hmong women

Abstract

The meaning and experience of menopause among Hmong women from Laos is examined in this paper. Hmong women see the menopause as part of growing old. A woman becomes menopausal only when she has borne all of her children. Although having many children is highly valued women do not see menopause as a negative stage since they have already borne many children and thus have ensured the continuity of lineage. Women also associate menopause with the polluted nature of menstruation. Once menstruation has ceased a woman becomes clean like a man and she is able to relax more. It appears that Hmong women perceive menopause as positive and that they experience few so-called menopausal symptoms. However, because of the availability of western health care and the relative lack of traditional herbal medicines and healers in Australia, women seek help from mainstream health services when they experience ill health of any kind. This inevitably puts women in midlife into contact with current medical interpretations of menopause. Will Hmong women be encouraged to interpret menopause as a medically oriented event and thus experience menopausal symptoms in the way many Australian women do? It remains to be seen.