The Why of Menopause

Killer whales. Pilot Whales. And women. What's the connection? They all experience menopause. Other long-lived species––and most of the animal kingdom––do not. Why is menopause restricted to just a few species on the earth? Why is it that we live decades past our reproductive years when our near relatives, apes and chimpanzees for example, do not?

Well, two British scientists think they have the reason. Grandmothering. The very word makes me feel old. But according to researchers, our early human female ancestors left their groups to start families. At first, our foremothers would be genetically unrelated to most of the group, but as their children also started to also reproduce they would become increasingly genetically related, and, rather than remain chief breeder––such as great apes do––evolved instead to opt out, in a way, to take care of their grandchildren.

I'd read about this "grandmother hypothesis" before, in Barbara Seaman's and Laura Eldrige's The No-Nonsense Guide to Menopause , but it appears now there is more evidence to believe it's true. Though scientists have yet to find out if Orcas and pilot whales help raise their grand offspring, it seems the mystery of menopause is one step closer to being solved.

Of course there are other theories. My friend Jane has one. "Menopause is nature's way of ensuring the continuation of the species," she says. "Women become so bitchy that their husbands leave them for younger models." It's plausible.

What I want to know: Is there a whale equivalent of a hot flash?

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