It’s a staple of the so-called “manosphere”—that glamorous corner of the internet where sex-trafficker gurus rub shoulders with pick-up artists, “men going their own way” and half-breed incel spree-killers in the making—that there’s this thing called “the Wall” and that women hit it, hard, when they reach the age of about 30.
The Wall serves as a kind of fulcrum, a hinge for dating in the modern world, the Manosphere types tell us. Before the Wall, women are wanton and carefree, dispensing their love to the most chosen men, in a kind of selective breeding every bit as rigorously eugenic as in Plato’s Republic, even if it produces no offspring.
Pre-Wall women engage exclusively in “hypergamy,” to use the correct Manosphere lingo—they choose only the very best mates, the Chads and Gigachads, the Alpha and Sigma males, and leave the rest.
And so a very small number of the most attractive men end up having all the sex, with the aid of dating apps like Tinder, while the rest don’t even get crumbs from the table, so to speak.
But then, suddenly—the Wall appears in her path.
Splat!
Now our formerly attractive formerly young woman, souring like (pasteurised) milk as she passes 30, must adopt a new strategy as she fights for survival. Pushed out of the dating market, she settles down with the kind of man—affable, non-threatening but financially secure—she wouldn’t have looked at twice in her glory days, before her dwindling eggs disappear altogether.
Many women fail, of course, and face a terrible, lonely fate: the life of the childless cat lady.
I felt a little bit grubby just writing all that, I won’t lie. It’s horribly cynical, and the kind of men who give themselves over to believing such theories usually end up making themselves even less attractive to the opposite sex than they were before, which is quite the achievement really.
The Manosphere worldview, at its worst, just makes already bitter men yet more lemonish, even if there are obvious shades of truth to the ideas behind it.
One obvious shade of truth is that women’s reproductive capabilities do decline naturally as they age. This is indisputable. And it’s also indisputable that women’s reproductive capabilities decline differently from men’s.
But now there’s new evidence to suggest that natural decline in women’s fertility is changing. It’s changing in ways that should worry us deeply.
More than 50% of American women aged 30-35 are now experiencing early symptoms of the menopause, according to a new study. This isn’t normal, and it’s not funny either. In fact, it’s part of a broader decline in fertility that has the potential to make reproduction all-but impossible for the human race.
First, a bit of basic science: the menopause, sometimes referred to as “the climacteric,” is when adult women stop having periods for good. It typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55; the average age in the US a decade ago was 51. It’s a natural change and marks the end of a woman’s ability to conceive.
A new survey, commissioned by researchers from Flo Health and the University of Virginia, looked at around 4,500 women, and found that half of all women in the 30-35 age bracket reported experiencing symptoms of early menopause or “perimenopause,” to give the condition its technical name. Over 55% of 30-35 year olds reported “moderate to severe” symptoms, increasing to 64.3% in women between the ages of 36 and 40.
The strength of perimenopause symptoms can vary, but the main change is extended durations without periods. In “early” perimenopause, women occasionally miss their period or cycle irregularly, whereas in “late” perimenopause, they may go for much longer—from between 60 days to a full year or more—without a period.
Other symptoms associated with perimenopause include: hot flashes; vaginal dryness; pain during sexual intercourse; recent cycle length irregularity; heart palpitations; frequent urination.
So what’s causing this? Why is this happening?
Although the survey doesn’t discuss the causes of its findings, other studies have linked early menopause to exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, a pervasive class of chemicals that are found in everything from personal-care products to food packaging.
A study from 2012 showed a clear link between levels of exposure to endocrine disruptors and age of menopause onset.
“The researchers looked at the levels of numerous EDCs [endocrine-disrupting chemicals] in the blood or urine of 5,700 women through a secondary analysis of the US National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. Those with the highest amounts of phthalates and PCBs [two very common types of endocrine-disrupting chemical] went through menopause an average of 2.5 years before the others.”
There have been a wide range of studies showing associations between particular chemicals, like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and early menopause, as well as studies that demonstrate the mechanisms by which such chemicals are likely to disturb the menstrual cycle.
For example, one study showed a clear link between levels of PFOA (a PFAS chemical) and cycle length. Women with the highest levels of PFOA exposure had significantly higher odds for longer cycles than women with the lowest levels.
Studies have also shown that endocrine-disruptors can disrupt the function of ovarian follicles, which are involved in the production of the hormones that govern menstruation.
Endocrine disruptors are a serious problem for both sexes. This is why I say “the end of men is the end of women,” borrowing the title of the 2022 Tucker Carlson documentary I starred in alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr. That documentary focused mainly on men’s health and falling testosterone levels and sperm counts as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals like PFAS. But everything I said there about endocrine disruptors and their dreadful effects on male health is true for women too.
There’s been a lot of focus in recent years on a potential “spermageddon” scenario, in which sperm counts continue to fall on their current trajectory and within decades it becomes impossible for reproduction to occur by natural means. Such a scenario grabs headlines for obvious reasons. But the decline in women’s reproductive health is no less stunning or grave.
Thankfully, someone who understands these declines in fertility—their causes and solutions, the fact they’re interlinked and inseparable—is now in charge of the Department of Human Health and Services. Robert F. Kennedy Jr, after years of campaigning to clean up the environment and reduce Americans’ exposure to toxic chemicals, now has the ability to do those things and the mandate, as part of his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. He faces an uphill battle against entrenched interests that have countless billions of dollars staked on the continuing ill health of Americans, but the price of failure will be far, far greater than that.
While we’re on the subject of fertility, I’d like to draw your attention to an important upcoming event in Austin, Texas. On 28-29 March, the second Natal Conference will take place, featuring a whole host of experts, including myself, all of whom will be addressing the nature of the current reproductive crisis and, just as importantly, what we can do about it in order to ensure a future for our nation and the human race. If you’d like to buy a ticket, visit natalism.org and use promo code “rawegg” to get 10% off your purchase.