On Whales, Menopause, and Thanks to God

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I wonder how many mammals go through menopause?” I certainly hadn’t—up until last week.

It turns out that only a handful of mammals are known to experience menopause: humans, chimpanzees, and five species of toothed whales (short-finned pilot whales, false killer whales, killer whales, narwhals, and beluga whales). All other mammals (5,000+ species in all) retain their ability to reproduce throughout their lifespan. And as difficult and unpredictable as human menopause can be, I imagine that the alternative of never-ending fertility is not something most women would be jumping at the chance to experience, either.

In God’s good design, we humans share this somewhat rare life stage with only six other species on earth. Humans, however, are the only creatures who are able to reflect upon the experience of menopause, and even (stay with me here) thank God for it.

My own personal experience of menopause, Lord willing, is coming to a close, and honestly, it never occurred to me to write about this topic until I read about two recent scientific studies. See what you make of this fascinating information: new research has shown that of the whale species that experience menopause, the females live about 40 years longer than other whales of similar size, and much longer than males of their own species, as well. Menopause appears to significantly extend their lifespan, but in their silver or golden years, these older lady whales aren’t moving to a sunbelt retirement community to play pickleball and canasta. What are they doing instead?

According to the (entirely secular) researchers, they are living longer—decades past their own reproductive years—so that they can continue to care for their families. They are literally helping their children and grandchildren.

Here’s how the article linked above explains the circumstances that make it possible for female whales to spend their post-menopausal years in this way:

Dear reader, I read this last week and my heart nearly burst with sisterly love for five species of toothed whale females. Despite never having seen an actual whale in my life except on a screen, I suddenly felt an incredible empathetic bond with these massive aquatic creatures whose families are the most important priority in their lives—perhaps, for whales, the only priority in their lives.

Take a look at that quote above one more time. What are these post-menopausal whales doing with this gift from God, these several decades of life they’ve been given after the point where they themselves are no longer producing young? Thirty or forty extra non-reproductive years that almost no other mammal on earth gets to have? They’re “sharing their food” and “using their knowledge” to guide their families.

They’re helping their families in other ways, too: a second study found that post-menopausal killer whales spent some of their time protecting their sons from potentially dangerous encounters with other males, such as when two pods or social groups meet. One of the researchers comments, “Just as in humans, it seems that older female whales play a vital role in their societies—using their knowledge and experience to provide benefits including finding food and resolving conflict.”

Let’s recap the researchers’ conclusions: “Older female whales play a vital role in their societies.”

“Just as in humans.”

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There’s no doubt that menopause is hard on most women. I watched my mom endure frequent hot flashes for years—we were able to laugh together about it at the time, but surely she didn’t enjoy breaking into a sudden, red-faced, visible sweat in public, sometimes multiple times a day. My own menopause experience was quite different, consisting mostly of powerful, unstoppable waves of melancholy that I could do nothing about except suffer through until they passed—sometimes lasting thirty minutes, sometimes several hours … a few times a week or a few times a day. I’m by nature a mostly positive, glass-half-full sort of person who had never battled overwhelming sadness or hopelessness before. But during this very difficult, prolonged stage of menopause, I told my husband that I had a newfound empathy for those who suffer from clinical depression, because that was surely similar to what I was going through. In a spiritual sense, I don’t know why menopause is often so difficult, other than to say that in a fallen world, major life transitions are frequently accompanied by pain of one kind or another.

And menopause certainly is a major life transition. There’s a reason why my mother’s and grandmother’s generations euphemistically called it “The Change.” And so much of the change brought upon by menopause is completely out of our control. But what we do with our post-menopausal years usually isn’t.

Female whales, operating on God-given instincts, have a focus and purpose in their post-menopausal years that I hope I can emulate: they play “a vital role in their societies” by “using their knowledge and experience” to help their families, both with their physical needs (food) and their social-emotional needs (resolving conflict). This is what they’re doing with the extended lifespan that God has seen fit to give them. This is the kind of meaning and purpose I want my own life to have in the decades (Lord willing) that I have left to live.

But unlike the secular researchers in the studies above, who look to evolutionary principles and rationales to explain their findings, I look for examples of how God the Creator intended women to make the most of those “bonus” years. In the Bible, I find examples of post-menopausal women in the likes of Lois and Eunice … Anna … Sarah … Elizabeth … Naomi … Mary … all older women who, like these female whales, played a vital role in their societies. They used their extended time on earth and their acquired knowledge to help their families. They provided guidance and wisdom to those closest to them … and there the similarity with toothed whales ends. Because these women of the Bible were made in the image of God, as are you and I, they also prayed faithfully, encouraged others, believed in God’s promises, endured difficulties without losing faith, kept their sense of humor, and accepted change—even difficult change—with grace and trust in the Lord.

I also find inspiration in the older women in my church, in my extended family, and in my community. I look to women who serve, who pray, who create, who love, who share their skills and wisdom with their families and children … whether those are biological families and children or others right around them in their church, on their street, in their city, online, in schools or nursing homes, hospitals or prisons … anywhere their experience and willingness to help is needed, valued, and appreciated.  

Menopause in human females, as in five species of toothed whales, significantly extends our lifespan, and I thank God for those “extra” years. The common grace of God toward these whales means that they spend that time caring for their families and sharing their knowledge and experience with their community. As long as I’m able, I pray to find meaning and purpose in a similar way.

“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.”  —Helen Keller

Thanks to 1440 Daily Digest for sharing these fascinating studies on whales.

Photo by NOAA on Unsplash