Generations and Gynecology
Summer is here in Oregon, no doubt. The sun is out, and folks are enjoying the longer light that lasts late into the night and earlier in the morning. It is starting to get light at 4:30 a.m.!
I have returned from an interesting gathering of medical minds discussing the impact of menopause and andropause (that is, male menopause—many folks don’t know that!).
The European Congress on Menopause and Andropause was an excellent eye-opener for me. People from all over the world gathered to talk about different ways to support the patient. Well, mostly……
What struck me about this gathering was the content and conversations around mental health. We all think of talking to our gynecologist for medical support in our reproductive health, but do we think of them if we are having mental health challenges along with our perimenopause journey? I think most of us would say no. And, if that provider doesn’t mention it, we might not think to reach out for mental health support.
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When we seek medical support for our flu symptoms, high blood pressure, broken arm, or diabetes, we don’t always think of the other symptoms we may be experiencing, especially if they are not directly related to that physical medical condition.
So, when do we ask for mental health support? When is it self-evident that we are struggling? There is a generational difference in approaching counseling/therapy. I know when I grew up, anyone in counseling/therapy had a big “problem” they were trying to solve, or worse, they were at their ‘wits end’ and scrambling.
Today, I have many clients from various generations,
- The Baby Boomers and before are the ones least likely to refer themselves to therapy, as that just ‘wasn’t done’ when they were growing up, unless there was a ‘serious’ issue. Therapy was the last-ditch effort to fix a problem.
- Generation X also grew up in the ‘keep it to yourself’ or ‘snap out of it’ era. There was not always space for the various levels of emotional vulnerability and those who did ‘lean in’ were, at times, minimized, ignored or even shamed. However, things slowly opened up in the 1990s, and later, more discussions and opportunities were created to find a counselor/therapist to help with life events.
- The Millennials are likely the first generation to know someone in therapy, and it wasn’t someone in complete crisis or sworn to secrecy or awash in shame. They have grown up as therapy has expanded coverage in the community, culture, and insurance coverage. They normalized the act of talking to someone outside your circle of support. This generation has normalized asking for help in decision-making in life matters, communicating more effectively, improving their relationship skills, and more deeply exploring the ‘self’.
- Generation Z has grown up with their parents more likely to have been in therapy, talked about it, and referred their kids (this generation) to treatment to help support their kids. We got into the era where parents are given permission not to know it all and be ‘perfect’. Also, Dads and/or non-gestational partners are encouraged to be just as involved in child-rearing decisions as the birth parent. So, these kids are growing up knowing that therapy is as accessible as their pediatrician (noting the frequent struggle with scheduling accessible health care appointments).
- Generation Alpha (not listed below but considered the generation born approximately from 2010-2025) is known as the ‘digital natives’, having the strongest connection to technology, global networks, and social media. They (along with other generations) pose mental health questions online, seeking support in a more open and even casual fashion.
Note: Generation names are based on when members of that generation become adults (18-21).
So, those going into Perimenopause (age 40 + approximately) are increasingly coming from the millennial generation and above. This means mental health is moving from the sidelines to a more prominent discussion position. Hurrah!
However, we need to catch up! Many of the physical medical doctors/medical providers were, understandably, talking about the physical challenges in menopause. However, we need to encourage the conversation around mental health and change.
One of the reasons I wrote my book is that it seems like there is not a lot of support for these discussions, and I wanted to help bring those words to the front. At this conference, the least attended sessions were, sadly, those about mental health.
This is going to change as the medical providers age themselves, and more of these younger generations age up and demand more mental health support. So, let’s all get ready, and if you are mental health consumers (I am both) let’s ask for more information.
I plan to address more of these as we continue our discussions here.
Thanks for reading!
Audrianna Joy
