Diverse, renowned health experts to discuss how physical, sexual and mental health affect women of all backgrounds during the menopause transition 

HealthyWomen has launched a 6-week, interactive virtual roundtable series titled “No Pause in Menopause” to educate women and people of all genders, across diverse communities, about their health and wellness needs during the menopausal transition. Beginning October 7, the roundtable will be held weekly every Wednesday during October’s World Menopause Month, and into November. It will feature renowned women’s health experts discussing a range of issues to help normalize what can be a physically difficult, confusing and shame-causing time. 

Roundtable topics include:

• The realities of perimenopause and sexual health
• Menopause’s effects on mental health and how to cope
• Managing difficult symptoms like hot-flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness
• Maintaining pelvic health as women age

The series will feature such guest experts as Beth Battaglino, RN, CEO, HealthyWomen; Omisade Burney-Scott, creator of the Black Girls’ Guide to Surviving Menopause, a multimedia project; Sybil Amuti, executive producer and co-host of The Great Girlfriends Show podcast; Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, gynecologist, North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Clinician, Yale University School of Medicine; Dr. Gayatri Devi, director, Park Avenue Neurology, clinical professor, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, attending neurologist, Lenox Hill Hospital/Northwell Health; Pauline Maki, PhD, professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago, and leader of groundbreaking research on menopause and cognition; Sheryl Kingsberg, PhD, past president, North American Menopause Society, professor of reproductive biology and psychiatry, chief of the Division of Behavioral Medicine, Case Western University; Devin Tomb, executive editor, Prevention; Dr. Cheryl Iglesia, pelvic medicine specialist, MedStar Health. 

“This roundtable series is vital to flipping the script by empowering women and others experiencing menopause to talk about it and find the best ways to manage their symptoms and improve their mental health and wellness,” said HealthyWomen CEO Beth Battaglino. “There can’t be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to menopause care and symptom management, and the series will bring together black women’s health experts, OB/GYNs, health and wellness editors, primary care doctors and pelvic health experts to bring menopausal education and awareness from a diverse set of backgrounds to a diverse audience.”

Studies show that only 30% of women report talking about their menopause symptoms with their doctor, while 30% do not discuss the topic at all, and, worse, 50% of women feel that the topic is taboo. Even more barriers to comprehensive menopausal care exist for women of color who are less likely than their white counterparts to be screened for bone and other menopause-related health issues and experience other socioeconomic stressors that can cause earlier onset of symptoms. Uninsured, underinsured, low-income individuals often lack access to care at all. 

As a hub of evidence-based health and wellness educational resources and events, HealthyWomen is providing free registration for the public to attend the roundtables via Zoom technology, and the sessions will be interactive with participants. Recordings of the roundtable discussions will be available via HealthyWomen.org as an evergreen resource.

Click here to see the full lineup of topics and register for the series.