Why women have menopause – level 3

Why women have menopause

30-04-2025 07:00

Menopause is when women stop being able to have babies. Toothed whales, like orcas, are one of the few animals that also experience menopause.

Normally, animals keep reproducing until they die. In humans and these whales, reproduction stops much earlier, leaving a longer period without having children. Some scientists wonder why this happens because it doesn’t seem to help survival or reproduction. One idea is that humans live much longer than before, but this doesn’t explain why whales also stop reproducing. Another idea is that childbirth at older ages can be dangerous, but research shows the risks are not high enough to explain menopause.

A more popular theory is the grandmother hypothesis. This suggests older females, like grandmothers, help their family by caring for grandchildren. This increases their chances of survival, so women should stop having children and focus on helping others.

Difficult words: survival (staying alive), theory (an idea that explains something).

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What does the grandmother hypothesis propose as the evolutionary benefit of menopause?

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