The biological climacteric time of life is a normal, and traditionally powerful part of ageing experienced by both females and males. Rather than viewed as pathological or dubious - this time of change that spans a decade or more of hormonal calibrations until one is solidly established in one’s ‘elder’ phase is one that can be rejuvenating. The “fountain of age” as Betty Friedan called the last third/forth of life - can also be regenerative when LCHF/keto is involved!!!
For FEMALES however, navigating the long climacteric process of natural menopause (for those of us who have not had premature chemical or surgical menopause) amidst a heavily male-centered and industrial medical and dietary model when it comes to women’s health - it can be illuminating to realize that it’s only within the last two decades that female-centered research and expertise have been surfacing in mainstream women’s health media. Such as women’s health author-physicans Christiane Northrup MD, Aviva Romm MD, Tracy Gaudet MD, Tierona Low Dog MD, Eden Fromberg MD, the work of master herbalists Susun Weed, Rosemary Gladstar, the work of other female-centered certified health & wellness coaches and female keto voices. When you search various female topics add the terms ‘holistic’ ‘natural’ or even ‘low carb’ to your search - thanks to internet publishing, these female writers and their students may show up.
However the dearth of information about the mysteries of the female body & mind is an extreme dearth overall in industrial civilization (as opposed to land-based ancient cultures). The male bodied view of women’s life cycles (and its pharmacological, exploitative, and/or traumatic resultes) is still overwhelmingly influential in the literature and practice, though this is slowly changing.
Something to keep in mind is that lots of studies do not work with control groups based on sex - as if sex doesn’t matter when in fact it certainly does - and not ironically, many if not most studies assume that the male body’s results and assumptions are applicable to the abundant and mysterious processes of the female life cycle phases and female physiology and rejuvenation.
Anywhoo - 4 key takeaways from this wonderful nursing journal article by Duke University’s very erudite and sensible Im Eun-Ok PhD, MPH, RN, CNS, FAAN published about ten years ago, entitled “A Feminist Approach to Research on Menopausal Symptom Experience” contains many gems that may encourage the midlife keto female process.
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Little is known about the ethnic differences in menopausal symptom experience and ethnic-specific contexts of the women’s daily life that may influence menopausal symptom experienced - multimethod approaches are suggested. [for example, it’s only recently that the much higher mortality rate of Black women in general and specificaly related to childbirth as well as diabetes has been identified as a public health crisis].
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Based on a comprehensive literature review, the existing studies on menopausal symptoms have been conducted from researchers’ interests rather than women’s own. Consequently, women’s own experience with menopausal symptoms has rarely been explored, and very little is known about it.
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Literature review has indicated that findings on specific ethnic variations in menopausal symptoms tend to be inconsistent, particularly due to the lack of studies on ethnic differences. Furthermore, how ethnic-specific contexts influence women’s menopausal symptoms has rarely been explored in the nursing literature… researchers need to view sex and ethnicity as the significant characteristics that circumscribe women’s menopausal symptom experience and carefully examine ethnic-specific contexts that may have influenced women’s menopausal symptoms experience.
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Existing studies on menopausal symptoms have rarely disclosed women’s own experiences, and one of the reasons would be the distant relationship between the researchers and the research participants. In other words, the studies have rarely involved their research participants in the research process.
Add to the above the fact that most medical research assumes a high carb/sugar version of “normal” and midlife females who are navigating the wonders of The Change Of Life may find very FEW mainstream guides. This needs to change!!!
If you are a midlife OR elder female, and have some recommended female-centered sources that have helped you in your health journey in general as well as specific to midlife keto - please share here 
