Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

21 May 2025

5-minute read

In the second of a 3-part series on menopause and perimenopause, Radio Islam presenter Faaiza Munshi spoke to Muslim life coach Ridwana Jumuah on the effects of menopause on the household. In her field of work, Ridwana’s aim is to instil hope and tawakkul within her clients, “getting them into action” to bring about lasting change. Her areas of focus include spiritual growth, intimacy, menopause, and being an adoptive mother.

In the past, the topic of menopause was taboo. Most women did not talk about it openly with their families, thereby perpetuating the silence around it. While almost all current conversations and information on menopause focus on the physical symptoms, there is much more to menopause than meets the eye.

Ridwana emphasizes dealing with this period in a woman’s life in a holistic way. While physical changes are visible, emotional challenges stemming from hormonal changes and imbalances are often hidden and misunderstood. These include feelings of confusion, sadness, and fear, with most women feeling that their identity changes too.

When a woman figures out that her purpose has changed, she will learn to accept the change of life and phrases like “I’m broken,” or “I don’t know who I am anymore,” will be eradicated from her conversations. Ridwana advises engaging with the journey differently, moving away from the victim space to the empowered space.

Lifestyle choices play a huge part in dealing with menopause. “The woman that you were before and the woman that you are now is not the same woman” says Ridwana. This is the time in a woman’s life where her kids do not rely solely on her any longer, so she has more time to herself, and it is also the time when she needs to redefine her relationship with her husband.

A woman on her journey of menopause essentially needs support and compassion from her loved ones. Going about it on her own is a great challenge. A woman must educate herself on the changes taking place within her so that she can express to her family what she needs at this time. Her husband needs to understand the changes happening to her and her body. To avoid a drift in her marriage, a woman going through menopause must communicate her symptoms, feelings and needs to her husband.

While Western medicine defines perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause as three specific separate periods, Islam deals with it as an overall time period where a change of life happens. A typical example is hot flushes which can be controlled by deep breathing and making wudhu, says Ridwana. Implementing lifestyle and routine changes can be of great benefit in lessening the effects of menopause. Getting rid of “menopause victim mentality” allows a woman to start understanding the positives. A life coach or a therapist can help a woman get through the journey of menopause with ease.

A change of life might not necessarily be such a bad thing after all. A definite plus is the spiritual changes that can result from menopause as this is a time to “cultivate and nurture a different relationship with Allah.” Ridwana concluded: “the choice is yours,” you can either struggle through the journey of menopause or turn it into a sacred time to draw the many blessings that can be found along the way.

Listen to the full interview here.