All the woMEN from Venus

Menopause: Time to Talk

Menopause is one of life’s big milestones, a transition that brings with it physical, emotional, and social changes. Even though it touches everyone in some way, directly or indirectly, menopause is still far too often left in the shadows: underdiscussed, underresearched, and misunderstood.

This graduation project at TU Delft, in collaboration with Erasmus MC, Hogeschool Leiden, and the Health Coach Program, sets out to change that. The mission? To reimagine the menopausal experience for women in the Netherlands through interventions that foster open dialogue and ripple across different social circles.

Ripples of Change

The first circle is the closest one: home. Here, we design ways to spark conversations within families, making sure partners and children, especially men, are part of the dialogue.

The second circle expands to organisations and healthcare. The focus here is on the crucial first step: how women and their GPs talk about menopause. We explore how this interaction can feel more open, supportive, and effective.

The outermost circle looks at society at large. This is where cultural perceptions come in, challenging stigma, reshaping narratives around aging and beauty, and encouraging better understanding across genders.

A Future Without Silence

So, imagine a future where menopause is no longer a taboo but a shared, well-understood experience. This project invites you to step into that future, follow the journey across these circles, and discover how small interventions can create big change, making menopause an understood, supported and accepted experience.