menopause Archives - DOES GOD EXIST? TODAY

We get some interesting questions in this age of skepticism and rejection of God. One that came up recently is why women have to experience menopause. Like many questions raised by those who wish to deny God’s existence, this question is rooted in ignorance and a failure to think carefully.

Most members of the animal kingdom die when they can no longer reproduce. Mammals such as elephants and orangutans remain fertile throughout their lives. The number of animals that live beyond their reproductive years is very small. It has only been documented in a few species, including humans, orcas, and short-finned pilot whales.

There is no scientific explanation for the uniqueness of the human reproductive cycle. Dr. Shankar Singh of McMaster University in Canada maintains that this is because men favor younger mates, but this evolutionary explanation ignores the genetic implications that come with it. The more logical explanation of this fact is the different roles women have at various stages of life. In Titus 2:1-5, Paul talks about older women teaching younger women.

As we get older, our roles change. There is a reason for humans to live beyond the time when they can produce offspring. Teaching, leading, and serving can be more effective when done by older humans. That is not true of fish, birds, rodents, insects, or most mammals.

It is a good design that older women can no longer reproduce. My 70+-year-old wife says the thought of having a baby at her age is appalling. For orangutans and elephants, a female having offspring late in life helps maintain the species, and the whole group raises offspring, not just the mother.

Instead of asking why women have to experience menopause, we should note that God’s remarkable design of reproduction uniquely shows His handiwork.

Reference: National Wildlife, winter 2024, page 17.

“IT’S NOT FAIR!!” my atheist, feminist opponent declared. “Why would your God allow men to father children well into their old age while the average woman ceases having menstrual cycles by the age of 51.” Her challenge sent me digging into the whole business of menopause and women’s roles, and how they are designed and why.

The facts in a woman’s reproductive life are clear. Pregnancy becomes more hazardous with age, and younger women are more likely to survive childbirth than older women. It is a fact that we see more chromosomal abnormalities in the ova of women over 40, so there are genetic issues as well.

Aside from the survival rate physically and genetically of children born to older mothers, there is the issue of different roles that women have at different times in their lives. If a woman reaches menopause by the age of 50 and she lives to be 80, she has time for a new phase of life–that of being a grandmother. Studies on a variety of societies have shown that the survival rate of children in primitive societies is directly related to the presence of grandmothers. Assuming that human children need their mothers until they are around ten years old, the support of a grandmother can obviously be a positive feature.

We are all familiar with the poem “There was an old woman who lived in a shoe; she had so many children she didn’t know what to do.” As a public school teacher in an inner-city high school, I saw a huge number of grandmothers who came to PTA meetings or conferences about the needs of a child. In our day of working mothers and single parents, the need for the role of grandmother is undeniable.

The apostle Paul described the foundation of the faith of the young man, Timothy, in 1 Timothy 1:5: “When I call to remembrance that unfeigned faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice…”

One of the things that defines us as humans is the exceptional care that we receive from our mothers. The difficult business of raising children today is compounded by the unwillingness of many to accept our biological design. The facts of menopause and women’s roles clearly show evidence of design.

Data from Natural History magazine, July/August 1998, pages 24-26.

Tag: menopause

Why Women Have to Experience Menopause