Menopause has not evolved as a general trait in mammals: A response to "Do mammals have menopause?"

Abstract

Reproductive senescence is widespread across mammals, but only a small number of species have physiological reproductive cessation and an extended post-reproductive lifespan. A recent commentary in Cell by Winkler & Goncalves (2023) suggests that menopause is actually a widespread trait of mammals, which would change our understanding of senescence and have implications for the study of menopause in humans. Here, we identify three main issues with the methodology of this commentary: the use of captive populations, the use of maximal lifespan, and misinterpretations of the data sources. We show that this methodology does not support the conclusions at the species-level, and conclude that, in line with the predictions of classic life-history theory, menopause is indeed a rare trait.