Menopause Pioneer: How Virginie Messager Changed the 19th-Century Conversation

Did you know that someone in 1800 already understood menopause as a natural stage of life? Yes, you read that right.

Long before hot flashes became a buzzword, before apps and supplements promised to “manage your change,” before kōnenki and menopause zest became a kind of mantra, there was Virginie Messager, a French midwife with more common sense than many modern medical texts. While most doctors were still writing manuals that barely scratched the surface, Messager went deep (415 pages deep) writing  the “Guide pratique de l’âge critique ou conseils aux femmes sur les maladies qui peuvent les attaquer à cette époque de leur vie”

I hadn’t heard of her until I began researching for an essay for an Italian project, and what surprised me most was this: she didn’t just document symptoms, she explained them, treated them, and, most importantly, presented menopause exactly as it is: a natural, inevitable stage of life.

How Early Insights Challenged Stigma 

Messager ran her “maison spéciale” in central Paris, a discreet little palace of female care where aristocrats, wealthy bourgeois women, and visiting foreigners all came for advice and treatment. From childbirth to headaches, acne, or digestive woes, she saw it all. Her experience also gave her unmatched insight into perimenopause and menopause management, decades before society caught on (though some of her views might sound controversial by today’s standards).

In the 1800s, while most women were quietly suffering, or worse, being told they were “diseased” simply for aging, Messager was educating her clients and normalizing a stage of life we now still struggle to talk about openly. She understood something modern science is only slowly catching up to: menopause isn’t the end, it’s a transformation. 

Virginie Messager Knew It All

“With the body no longer oriented toward reproduction, a woman’s energy– she wrote- turns fully inward—strengthening the pulse, warming the complexion, firming the body, and even producing a sense of renewal” This, Messager explained, was the true meaning of the âge de retour.

While she acknowledged that women might lose a certain conventional prettiness after menopause (a notion we feel more cultural than biological), she argued they gained something deeper and more distinguished: “a quieter, more authentic beauty. Some women grew fuller in figure, but also developed richer, more supple voices”, signs, in her view, of an intelligence come to maturity.

“Freed from the impulse toward coquettishness (or deliberately flirtatious) – she continues- they were thought to possess greater mental solidity and discernment, better able to choose the objects of their affection, regardless of sex. With this stage came generosity of spirit as well: a greater tolerance for others’ flaws and a natural inclination to guide, teach, and nurture the young”.

Why Menopause Remains Controversial Today

Menopause wasn’t invented yesterday. It has been observed, understood, and thoughtfully managed for centuries by brilliant women like Virginie Messager. And if she could face it from the heart of 19th-century Paris, surely we can meet it in the 21st century with a bit more grace, humor, and self-knowledge from knowing which foods to avoid to doing exercises that gently ease our symptoms.

And yet, it’s hard not to wonder: what happened in the years between then and now? How did so much hard-won understanding of our bodies, our cycles, and our potential for thriving in this life stage slip into silence? Somewhere along the way, knowledge that once felt shared, celebrated, and empowering became muted—and the conversation around menopause narrowed again to whispers, myths, and stigma.

Even today, menopause remains surprisingly controversial. Some dismiss it as “just aging,” while others medicalize it to the point that women feel they need to fix themselves rather than simply understand and navigate the changes. Opinions clash, advice conflicts, and the silence persists in spaces where we should be sharing, learning, and supporting one another.

Thriving Through Menopause in the 21st Century

Yet we now have more tools, research, and platforms than ever to reclaim that wisdom. From supportive communities and expert voices to innovative health solutions, women have the opportunity to navigate menopause not as a decline, but as a pivotal stage of transformation.

Time to embrace the changes with curiosity, finding humor in the unexpected, and celebrating the knowledge our bodies carry.

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