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Menopause Mindfulness: Embracing the Change of My Midlife
February 16, 2022 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EST
Approximately 1.3 million women in the United States transition into menopause each year. During the menopause transition (perimenopause), the body undergoes hormonal changes, characterized by a significant decrease in estrogen. This change typically begins to occur in a woman’s late 40s or 50s, and can last up to 10 or 20 years. However, some individuals may experience menopause early due to certain medical conditions or surgical procedures. Menopause, itself, is defined as the point in time 12 months after a woman’s last menstrual cycle.
Estrogen depletion can cause a variety of vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes, brain fog, and fatigue, as well as genital and urinary symptoms, such as vaginal dryness and urinary incontinence. Postmenopausal women have increased risks of other health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, skin issues, cognitive decline, and insomnia.
Menopausal symptoms and experiences vary widely from person to person. Raising awareness and improving access to information about menopause can help reduce stigma, dispel myths, and better prepare women and their health care providers to address potential challenges during this stage in their lives.
SWHR hosted a series of webinars to share educational information about the impact of menopause on women’s health. The events discuss how to improve health outcomes through recognizing and addressing symptoms, comorbidities, treatment options, and barriers to accessing quality care, while highlighting the diverse experiences of women during and after the menopause transition.
The SWHR Menopause Mindfulness series includes:
- Calls for Research Funding and Addressing Stigma Related to Menopause Congressional Briefing (October 26, 2021)
- Embracing the Change of My Midlife (February 16, 2022)
- A Personal Toolkit for Menopause Preparedness (July 14, 2022)
- Understanding the Many Paths to Menopause (August 11, 2022)
- Living Your Best Work-Life through the Menopause Transition (September 8, 2022)
Goals
- Highlight the diversity of experiences for women during the menopause transition and postmenopause
- Discuss the impacts of vasomotor and genitourinary symptoms on women’s health, including medical and lifestyle approaches to managing symptoms and addressing comorbidities
- Explore ways to empower women to improve their quality of care and general wellbeing
Speakers
Wanda Edwards
Wanda currently serves as the Director of Communications for Guilford County Schools, a position she has held since 2015. Overseeing a staff of seven communications specialists, she is responsible for internal and external communications, media relations, volunteers and community outreach, social media, special event planning for the district and GCSTV, the district’s 24/7 television station. She and her team have won numerous state and national awards and continues to ensure the best communication possible across the district that serves 73,000 students and 10,000 plus employees.
Prior to joining GCS, Wanda worked at her alma mater, Bennett College for more than 20 years, in various capacities including Director of Public Relations and Communications.
Kathleen Hawley
My name is Kathleen Hawley and recently I’ve retired from the largest high school in Wyoming where I was an Academic Facilitator.
I have three adult children whom I adore and one grandchild who has stolen my heart.
I’ve enjoyed living in Wyoming for more than 35 years where I share my love, laughter and penchant for traveling with my amazing partner, Mark.
I read, garden, walk every day and currently am trying the art of hand embroidery.
My goals at this stage of life are to stay positive, to remain curious, and to seek self improvement daily.
Nina Kuypers
Nina is founder of Black Women in Menopause. She started this because, as a black woman, she discovered there was a gap for UK black women to connect with each other and have a safe space to share their experiences and support each other.
Nina’s passion stems from her own menopause travels. Nina was discomfited to confess that at 43, she had been diagnosed as peri-menopausal and is now postmenopausal and has been for 3 years. This led Nina on a journey during which she has learned (and continues to learn) so much along the way that she wanted to share her experiences in the hope that other black women would not feel alone. Her aim is to make people more aware of the diversity of menopausal experience across ethnic groups.
Nina has also spoken at the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Menopause and has contributed to the APPG Women’s’ Health review Menopause at Work.
Follow her on social media at @blkmenopause on Twitter, @blackwomeninmenopause on Instagram, and Nina Kuypers on LinkedIn.
Sponsor
SWHR’s Menopause Program is supported by educational sponsorships from Astellas Pharma and Roche. SWHR maintains editorial control and independence over educational content.
