Over the past 30 years, women have been the target of intense advertising focused on hormone replacement therapy. The author takes a critical look at the distorting nature of this approach, which has succeeded in convincing many Western women that menopause is an illness, and hormone replacement therapy a panacea. Through studies she has consulted, and discussions on the economic situation associated with age and poverty among the elderly, the author underlines that menopause is a lucrative industry. She advances several relevant issues for discussion.