Openai/691c85a3-9588-8002-b8be-490af2c3e56c

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User: I've seen yet another crazy social media account saying that Mother Nature originally designed women to die before they…

I've seen yet another crazy social media account saying that Mother Nature originally designed women to die before they were in postmenopause. Does that sound accurate to you? Is there historical evidence to back up the claim that women rarely lived older than 50?

Assistant: Short answer: No, it’s not accurate – biologically or historically.

Short answer: No, it’s not accurate – biologically or historically.

And the claim that humans “weren’t designed” to live beyond post-menopause has no scientific basis. It’s a modern myth that keeps being recycled online.

Here’s the clearer, biology-accurate version:

1. Humans have always had the biological capacity to reach post-menopause

Archaeology, skeletal records, and demographic reconstructions show many people with ovaries regularly lived into their 50s, 60s, and beyond in pre-industrial societies.

What makes it look like people “died young” is this:

• Child mortality rates were extremely high. This drags down the average lifespan dramatically.
• But if someone survived childhood, pregnancy risks, and infections, it was common to reach 60+.

This is called the mortality curve fallacy: confusing average age at death with typical lifespan for those who survived early-life risks.

2. There is no evidence that the ovaries were ever “designed to shut down before death”

Biologically:

• Menopause is part of the ovarian ageing trajectory, not a design flaw.
• Post-ovulatory years appear in humans across time, geography, and culture.
• There are well-established evolutionary theories (e.g. Grandmother hypothesis, intergenerational care models) showing that post-reproductive adults have played valuable biological and social roles in human communities.

3. What the historical data actually show

Across ancient and pre-modern populations:

• If someone reached age 30, they often lived another 20–30 years.
• Skeletal remains from hunter-gatherers, medieval communities, and early agricultural societies consistently show adults living into their 60s and sometimes 70s.
• There are documented individuals reaching 80+ long before modern medicine.

So the idea that “people didn’t live past 50 until recently” is a misunderstanding created by statistical averages distorted by early mortality.

4. Why the myth keeps resurfacing

Because it:

• oversimplifies biology
• misunderstands historical data
• aligns with outdated, patriarchal narratives about the “purpose” of people with ovaries
• ignores the fact that menopause and post-menopause have been natural human life stages for thousands of years

If you’d like, I can give you a short myth-busting paragraph you can post online in your tone, or a mini graphic caption for a reel debunking this elegantly.

User: I think what might be helpful is a short paragraph on the next part of the crazy people's rationale, which is that duri…

I think what might be helpful is a short paragraph on the next part of the crazy people's rationale, which is that during menopause transition people with aging ovaries 'lose oestrogen and progesterone', and we should replace them with hrt, so we don't die early deaths. It's probably worth mentioning the 4 estradiol trajectories at this point and busting a few myths.

Assistant: Here’s a tight, myth-busting paragraph in your tone that addresses the “you lose estradiol and progesterone and will di…

Here’s a tight, myth-busting paragraph in your tone that addresses the “you lose estradiol and progesterone and will die early without HRT” claim, while bringing in the four SWAN estradiol trajectories clearly and cleanly:

The idea that people with ageing ovaries “lose estradiol and progesterone” and therefore need HRT to avoid early death is a complete misunderstanding of ovarian ageing. During the menopause transition the ovaries change their behaviour, not simply “switch off”, and estradiol does not follow one universal decline. SWAN has already mapped four recognised estradiol trajectories – Rise–Early Decline, Rise–Late Decline, Flat, and Low–Slow – which means many people experience higher or variable estradiol before it settles after menopause day. Progesterone shifts first because ovulation becomes less frequent, but this pattern is irregular, not a simple drop. These hormonal changes do not indicate a failing system; they reflect the biology of ovarian ageing and the nervous system adjusting to change. HRT can be beneficial for many, but it is not a replacement for “lost hormones” and it is not required to prevent early death. It is one tool, used when appropriate, not a universal biological necessity.