Intimate Neoliberal Violence and Ungrievable Meno Bodies

In this article, we investigate the journey of the patient-author
when hysterectomy is advised after the diagnosis of a benign uterine
fibroid. Findings from our collaborative autoethnography show
how meno bodies are subjected to ambiguous risk categorisation,
inadequate information, coercive practices, and dehumanisation
under the clinical gaze. Our work theorises the concept of intimate
violence on perimenopausal woman. We illustrate how intimate
violence is different from the indignity of obstetric violence on
women birthing children. The neoliberal healthcare system fosters
feelings of powerlessness by offering the illusion of control while
framing menopause as a medical condition that necessitates consumption
of reproductive care services. We highlight the personal,
emotional, psychological, and bodily harms inflicted on perimenopausal
women within neoliberal healthcare systems characterised
by a gendered, ageist agenda.