Women today may evolve out of menopause, Dr. Aarathi Prasad, a biologist and a science writer claims.
Menopause, signaling the end of the reproductive cycle, is an important stage in a woman's life, mostly because of different health conditions that arise and increase frequency with the dawn of menopause.
Dr. Aarthi Prasad, on the other hand, claims that menopause dated back to a time where there was competition among women over scarce resources, and when it was common for women to die young.
Today, where life expectancy can be well around a 100 years, and resources are in plenty, menopause is no longer 'normal' and could be overcome in the future, easily with new advancements in science and medicine.
"The mood of scientists working on this and looking to the future is we will either technologically or scientifically evolve out of the menopause," she explained at the Hay Festival.
"It is a health risk potentially and it is a real inescapable block on reproduction for one half of us - the women, but not the men. It is something that will probably be overcome."
Since there are no actual prominent benefits of menopause, it was now "not normal for nature," Dr. Prasad added.
Dr. Prasad has appeared on television several times, and also in radio programs, where she explains the possibility of gay parents being able to conceive a child in the near future.
"Scientists are working on artificial wombs that could change the future of parenting. It could mean for the first time that gay parents will be able to create a child that is genetically theirs," she said.
Dr. Prasad further explained that when menopause evolved, women probably died ten years earlier to that. Today, when women are expected to hit 100s, that's just half the life span and it's surprising how the rest of the body organs function so well and just the ovaries stop working.
"And it's not just reproduction. The menopause brings an increased risk of heart disease and osteoporosis," she said.
"What we think is normal is not normal for nature. If it is something not in all mammals, is it something necessary or beneficial for us? I do not see any benefits."
With such enthusiastic budding scientists, it seems halting menopause may be a piece of cake in the near future.
