Behind closed doors: the hidden needs of perimenopausal women in Ghana

Women going through the perimenopause are unnoticed by society, but deserve attention in geographies of reproduction. The perimenopause includes “the period immediately before the menopause (when the endocrinological, biological and clinical features of approaching menopause commence) [up until the] first year after menopause” (Utian 1999, 284). The menopause marks the permanent cessation of menstruation, when a woman has not menstruated for 12 months. In reproductive geographies, social aspects of reproduction are the focus of most of the literature.