Many middle-aged women are choosing to leave their marriages for a surprising reason.
Despite marriage rates increasing and divorce rates decreasing last year, as reported by CNN, a particular category of divorce seems to be gaining traction.
This phenomenon, referred to as ‘menodivorce,’ is associated with women going through perimenopause or menopause.
Melissa McClure is one such woman who ended her 14-year marriage while experiencing perimenopausal symptoms.
According to the Mayo Clinic, perimenopause is “the time before menopause when your body is getting ready to stop having periods.”
Melissa explained to USA Today, “We spend our entire adult lives taking care of our husbands or partners and children. We give so much of ourselves to other people as nurturers that we lose ourselves in the process.”
She described her decision to leave as ‘an awakening’ rather than a midlife crisis.
A survey from the Family Law Menopause Project and Newsom Health Research and Education, initiated in 2022 in the UK, revealed that seven out of ten women cited perimenopause or menopause as reasons for their marriage ending.
Research from Bowling Green State University’s National Center for Family and Marriage Research indicated that in 2019, individuals aged 50 and older were responsible for one in four divorces, a rise from 1990 when this age group accounted for only one in ten divorces in the U.S.
The Mayo Clinic notes the average age American women experience menopause is 51.
Dr. Sameena Rahman, an OB-GYN and specialist in sex and menopause, explained the reasons behind these divorce trends during an interview with Good Morning America. She noted that women might feel irritation towards their long-term partners over small things, such as how they chew or look at them.
To USA Today, Dr. Rahman further elaborated, saying, “They might still love their husbands or partners, but they also hate them and no longer can put up with things they had been putting up with.”
She pointed out that women going through perimenopause and menopause experience various symptoms, such as loss of libido, amidst increasing life stress, which eventually affects them.
Katy Viva, a mother of three who divorced her husband last year, supports this view. She stated, “I don’t know if [menopause] caused the divorce. But I will say that menopause made me unwilling to put up with the bullsh*t anymore.”
Katy, who was married for 24 years, added, “Life is too long, not too short. I’ve got time left in me, and I don’t want to spend it with someone that I don’t respect who doesn’t love me.”
Experts recommend that couples consider seeking additional support, such as therapy, to enhance communication and support, along with treatment for menopausal symptoms.