Menopause Awareness Month: October 2021
October 18 is World Menopause Awareness Day; Menopause Awareness Month takes place during October.
Since 2009, the International Menopause Society (IMS), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), has designated October as World Menopause Awareness Month, with October 18 celebrated as World Menopause Awareness Day. ”The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the menopause and the support options available for improving health and well-being," says the IMS.
The theme for 2021 is bone health. Osteoporosis and associated fractures are the most common chronic metabolic bone disease, contributing to 8.9 million fractures worldwide yearly, according to the IMS white paper. These fractures contribute to increased morbidity and mortality. IMS offers a patient information leaflet on bone health and an awareness raising poster.
Most Women Reach Menopause Around Age 50
Menopause occurs when women stop menstruating for 12 months straight due to lowering estrogen levels. The lead-up to it, which can take up to 10 years, is called perimenopause. The median age is 51 years old, but 5 percent experience it earlier, between ages 40 and 45, according to StatPearls. Symptoms include hot flashes, genitourinary syndrome of menopause (genital dryness, irritation, sexual dysfunction, and urinary issues), mood swings, and sleep problems.
RELATED: Perimenopause vs. Menopause: What’s the Difference?
October 18 Is World Menopause Awareness Day
“World Menopause Awareness Month-Day highlights the importance of women, their families, and the clinical community celebrating and prioritizing the health and wellness of women as they age. It also gives us a valuable opportunity to draw attention to the characterization of menopause by the mass media, which often casts aging women in a negative light rather than celebrating the women in our life whom we love and cherish,” says Hadine Joffe, MD, board president of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) and executive director of the Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Other Notable Menopause Awareness Campaigns, Events, and Activities
"Menopause can be a difficult and confusing time but it doesn't have to be, especially if women are educated about what to expect when menopause arrives, and how to best manage its course," states Karen Giblin, president and founder of Red Hot Mamas, which provides information and support to help women optimize their health at menopause. "It's important to develop an informative action plan about menopause and on what's to come in the years ahead. The writer Bertrand Russell once said, ‘To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.’ So I encourage all women to not let menopause intimidate them and to replace fear with knowledge. Every woman over 40 should do this!"
On September 7, European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) announced and celebrated the first World Menopause and Work Day. In 2020, 657 million women were between ages 45 and 59 worldwide, and 47 percent of them contributed to the workforce, says EMAS. “Worryingly, there is increasing evidence that women with severe menopause symptoms have a higher chance of becoming unemployed or reducing their working hours. This raises concerns regarding the effects on immediate income for women and the ability to reach retirement with sufficient pension contributions and savings for an adequate income and security in later life. … EMAS appeals to organizations to consider menopause a crucial gender- and age-equality issue,” EMAS said in a press release.
WisePause Wellness released a video on the subject entitled "Menopause and the Workplace."
Conferences and Programs
To that end, you can learn more and spread the word through the following activities geared to World Menopause Awareness Month and Day:
September and October
Roper St. Francis Healthcare in Charleston, South Carolina, and Red Hot Mamas have scheduled Zoom programs in September and October. Details are at RedHotMamas.org.
September 18, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30pm PDT
WisePause Wellness: The Premiere Perimenopause and Menopause Virtual Global Experience is a full-day virtual event that offers TED style talks with more than 20 leading medical experts, where they will discuss the effects of hormonal imbalances that women may experience in perimenopause and menopause and provide actionable solutions. The event is free for the first 24 hours. Attendees can purchase seven-day access for $20 or six-month access for $49. More information is available at WisePause.com.
September 18-21
Thirteenth Congress on Menopause and Andropause, hosted by the European Menopause and Andropause Society.
September 21, 2021
The International Menopause Society offers a webinar on “Perimenopause Contraception.” A recording is available.
September 22 to 25, Washington, DC
The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) holds its annual conference over these four days. The purpose of the meeting is to bring together industry thought leaders to present the latest research and recommendations on a wide array of health issues of particular importance to peri- and postmenopausal women. But as Stephanie S. Faubion, MD, NAMS medical director and Penny and Bill George Director of the Center for Women's Health at Mayo Clinic, says, “NAMS celebrates menopause every day!” Women can obtain information on the website about menopause and a NAMS certified menopause practitioner who can help them navigate this transition.
RELATED: New Therapies for Hot Flashes Are on the Horizon
September 28, noon to 1:30 p.m. EDT
Red Hot Mamas features a program on Osteoporosis and Menopause: Boning Up on Bone Health.
October 7, 2021
The FemAging Project hosts an event and pitch competition to focus on gaps, innovations, and opportunities in the health and wellness market for women ages 40 and older. Details are at FemAging.com.
October 18, 2021, noon EDT
Healthy Women, Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, and Prevention magazine have collaborated to present the webinar, “You and Your Brain: A Conversation About Menopause.” Registration is free.
October 26, noon to 1:30 p.m. EDT
Red Hot Mamas features a program titled "Sleep and Menopause: Sleepless in Menopause City."
Other Popular Menopause Bloggers, Influencers, and Instagrammers
Want to tap into the conversation? Follow, share, and engage with these helpful women’s health blogs and accounts:
- Ellen Dolgen is active on Facebook and Instagram.
- FemAging posts on Facebook and on Twitter (@pines_denise).
- Healthy Women, or the National Women’s Health Resource Center, strives to educate women ages 35 and older on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
- Menopause Goddess Blog posts on Facebook and Twitter (@LynetteSheppard).
- MiddlesexMD is active on Facebook, Twitter (@MiddlesexMD), and Pinterest.
- Peanut Menopause hosts a community where you can meet other women who are at your life stage, share information, join live audio conversations hosted by experts, or have one on one conversations.
- Red Hot Mamas, an education and support community, has a presence on Facebook and Twitter (@RedHotMamas).
- WisePause posts on Instagram (@wisepause), on Facebook, and Twitter (@WisepauseL)
RELATED: Help for Thinning Hair
Personal Stories and Tips
Understanding Symptoms of Menopause and Perimenopause
When Denise Pines, 55, of Los Angeles, started experiencing preliminary symptoms of perimenopause, she didn’t put the pieces together: “I'm on the board of directors for the Federation of State Medical Boards and immediate president of the Medical Board of California. I have incredible health access. And yet even for me, when I started having menopausal symptoms, I was in denial that I was even having any of these problems! I didn’t even really understand what menopause was.”
In fact, data analysts at StressNoMore recently looked into how many women depend on “Dr. Google” for advice about menopause by analyzing the top symptoms and their monthly Google search volume per month. They found that almost 360,000 Google searches are made every year for menopause side effects.
When Pines realized how little women are counseled or informed about the menopause experience, she created WisePause, a pro-aging health and educational platform designed to empower and connect women to information. She is reaching out to women of color. “Medical practitioners don’t listen to us,” says Pines, who identifies as a Black American. “They have preconceived notions about our health outcomes that tend to blame the women for their poor health and that thinking doesn’t lead to quality care,” she points out.
Pines feels it’s no secret that women over the age of 40 represent a growing, diverse, and economically powerful group. However, the unique health, wellness, and innovation needs of the over 53 million women in the United States ages 40 to 65 have largely been ignored by Silicon Valley which led Pines to address the problem by cofounding The FemAging Project. “There is a $600 billion opportunity for health tech innovators and investors to develop creative strategies for this burgeoning demographic,” says Pines. “Women at this stage of their lives have significantly different needs and could benefit greatly from tech advancements such as wearables, health trackers, diagnostic devices and tests, and more wellness solutions to help them take control of their midlife health.”
Pines also encourages men to join WisePause as well: “Men can tune in so they learn what's happening to their wife or girlfriend or mother, so they know how to help or simply just to understand what they are going through,” she explains.
Fitness and Menopausal Symptoms
Dianne Butters, 53, of Rumson, New Jersey, runs a local Pure Barre, an exercise studio (total body barre workout) focused on low-impact, high intensity movements, in nearby Bridgewater.
She asked Karen Giblin of Red Hot Mamas to come to one of her classes to speak about menopause because she figured her students could use the information. But after listening to Giblin talk, she realized she had started the process and had just not paid attention. “I am very athletic, eat carefully, and live a very healthy lifestyle, and am proactive about educating myself about health issues. But it wasn’t until I heard Karen speak that I realized I needed to address my hot flashes with my doctor.”
RELATED: Menopausal Symptoms May Predict Risk of Heart, Memory Trouble: NAMS 2021 News
The message Butters wants every woman to take away is that yes, it’s important to live healthy and learn as much as you can, but more than that, every woman’s menopause experience is unique. “I don’t like to take medications so I am following more natural measures. But that might not work for everyone. Everyone’s body is different. No one size fits all, so listen to your own body and mind. It’s worth looking into all options to find what’s going to work for you. Some doctors either prescribe medication or just chalk it up to normal symptoms of menopause. There are alternatives in terms of supplements and diet. I also can't stress enough the benefits of exercise. Women tend to gain weight during menopause, particularly around the midline. It is imperative to keep moving. Find an activity that you like, a group that will keep you engaged and motivated, whatever it is. But do it!” she says.
Clinical Trials
If you’re interested in participating in a clinical trial related to menopause, go to the U.S. government’s Clinical Trials website and search on menopause or symptoms such as hot flashes.
Resources
International Menopause Society (IMS)
According to the group's website, IMS “brings together the world’s leading experts to collaboratively study and share knowledge about all aspects of aging in women. The IMS advocates evidence-based treatment options that optimize mid-life women’s health and promotes best practice in women’s healthcare to healthcare professionals and women across the globe."
European Menopause and Andropause Society
EMAS is an “international society promoting health in women and men at midlife and beyond.” You can read up on their position statements on a variety of menopause issues such as work and menopause, and the Mediterranean Diet and menopausal health.
This agency is dedicated to educating women on their bodies and health needs, and providing resources and support for better health. Call 877-986-9472.
The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)
NAMS is a nonprofit organization devoted to improving the health and quality of life of women through an understanding of menopause. It also publishes the scientific journal Menopause. “Promoting women’s health at midlife and beyond,” NAMS offers expert answers, community support, and a tool to help you find a doctor certified by NAMS. Contact them at 440-442-7550 or via email at info@menopause.org.
Red Hot Mamas is a leading menopause education and support program in the United States. Their educational programs have been offered in over 200 hospitals in the United States. Its programs are now offered through Zoom. "The Menopause Minute" is the Red Hot Mamas free e-newsletter. Thousands of women across the world receive this newsletter each month. To find out more about Red Hot Mamas, visit their website RedHotMamas.org or reach them via email at info@redhotmamas.org.
WisePause Wellness brings together professional midlife experts to share solutions to the myriad menopause symptoms that women experience and provides communal support. You can also become a guest contributor. See their FAQs or find them on Facebook, Instagram (@wisepause), and Twitter (@WisepauseL).