International Menopause Day 2026: It's Time to Change the Menopause Conversation
On Sunday we celebrated International Menopause Day, and I can't let this day pass without sharing some important thoughts.
Because whilst I am delighted that menopause is finally getting the attention it deserves, I am also increasingly concerned about the direction of the conversation.
We are talking more about menopause than ever before. There are books, podcasts, documentaries, social media experts and endless conversations about symptoms, hormones and HRT.
For too long, women have been left in the dark, struggling to understand what was happening to their bodies, often feeling dismissed, unheard or simply told that what they are experiencing is part of getting older.
And that is a GOOD thing!
But here's what concerns me.
In our rush to normalise the menopause conversation, are we unintentionally creating a new narrative that is just as limiting as the old one?
One where menopause is defined by symptoms, hormonal decline and the assumption that every woman will struggle?
One where HRT is increasingly presented as the answer, rather than one of several options?
And one where we are so focused on three hormones — eostrogen, progesterone and testosterone that we are forgetting there is a WHOLE woman beyond this?
So in honour of how far we have come but recognizing how far we still have to go, I want to share four things I believe every woman needs to know about menopause.
1. Menopause is a normal, natural biological life stage.
I know you've heard me say this a hundred times, but I will keep saying it!
Menopause is not a disease. It is not a medical condition that needs to be cured. And it is certainly not the beginning of the end of your health, vitality or relevance.
It is a normal, biological transition that every woman will experience.
For some women, this transition can be incredibly challenging. Sleep becomes disrupted, anxiety appears seemingly out of nowhere, energy levels change, and your body responds differently to things that have worked for years.
For others, the transition is relatively smooth.
And for many women, it is somewhere in between.
All of these experiences are valid.
What I want you to understand is that struggling during menopause doesn't mean something is wrong with you.
And equally, experiencing menopause without debilitating symptoms doesn't mean you are unusual or that something has been missed.
There is no single menopause experience.
And most importantly your experience is influenced by so much more than your reproductive hormones.
Your health history, your stress levels, your nutrition, your sleep, your lifestyle, your emotional wellbeing and the demands of your life all contribute to how you experience this transition.
This is why I believe we need to stop treating menopause as an isolated hormonal event and start seeing it as part of a woman's much bigger health story.
2. Symptoms are NOT a prerequisite for perimenopause or menopause.
Yes, you've heard me say this a hundred times too! :)
But I can not emphasise this enough.
You do not have to experience symptoms to be in perimenopause or menopause.
Somewhere along the way, we have started defining menopause by a checklist of symptoms.
Hot flushes, Brain fog, Weight gain, Anxiety, Poor Sleep, ….
And whilst all of these CAN be associated with hormonal changes during midlife, they are not inevitable.
I also want to challenge the growing assumption that menopause must be difficult.
We hear so much about the women who are struggling, and their stories absolutely deserve to be heard.
But where are the stories of women who are navigating this transition well?
Where are the conversations about women who feel energised, connected, confident and healthy during their menopause years?
These women exist too!
And their experiences deserve to be part of the conversation.
Not because we should expect every woman to sail through menopause, but because we need to stop presenting suffering as the inevitable price of being a midlife woman.
3. HRT/MHT is ONE way to support yourself during these years.
Now, this is where I know I may ruffle a few feathers.
There is no question that hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also called menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), can be enormously beneficial for many women.
It can provide effective relief for certain menopause symptoms, and for some women, it can make a significant difference to their quality of life.
But here's what I want you to understand.
HRT is an option. It is not an obligation.
I am increasingly concerned by messaging that suggests women are being irresponsible about their future health if they don't take hormonal therapy.
Or that HRT is the answer to every symptom a woman experiences during midlife.
Or that once you start HRT, everything else will magically fall into place.
For some women, HRT can be transformative. For some women it can work for a while but then effectiveness declines, or new symptoms pop up.
For others, it may help with certain symptoms but not address everything they are experiencing.
And some women may choose not to take it, cannot take it, or simply don't need it.
None of these choices makes a woman less informed or less committed to her health.
HRT is not a one-size-fits-all magic pill.
The real question shouldn't be, "Should every woman be taking HRT?"
It should be, "What does THIS woman need to support her health, her symptoms and her long-term wellbeing?"
And that answer will look different for every woman.
We need to move away from the HRT versus no-HRT debate and towards a more nuanced conversation about individual needs, evidence-based options, personal preferences and informed
4. There are MANY ways to support yourself during menopause — and beyond.
Which brings me to perhaps the most important thing I want you to take away from International Menopause Day.
You have more influence over your health and wellbeing during midlife than you may have been led to believe.
I know this because I have experienced it personally.
And I know this because I see it in the women I work with.
Women who begin to understand what is happening in their bodies.
Women who recognise the impact of stress, sleep, nutrition and lifestyle on how they feel.
Women who make small, realistic changes and begin to notice meaningful improvements in their energy, symptoms, confidence and overall wellbeing.
Not because they have found a magic solution.
But because they have started connecting the dots.
This is at the heart of my WHOLE Woman approach.
We cannot understand a woman's menopause experience by looking at three hormones in isolation.
We need to understand the WHOLE woman.
Her biology.
Her emotional and psychological wellbeing.
Her health history.
Her lifestyle.
Her relationships.
Her stress levels.
Her sleep.
Her nutrition.
Her movement.
Her sense of connection to herself and the world around her.
All of these things matter.
And when we begin to look at them together, rather than as separate systems, we can start to understand what may be contributing to how a woman feels.
There is so much more to supporting women's health than simply replacing declining hormones.
And this really is the BIG message I want you to remember:
For too long, menopause has been sold to us as a time of struggle, pain, frustration, hormonal decline and disconnection from our bodies.
And whilst I would never minimise the very real challenges some women face, I believe we are missing something important.
Menopause is not the end of something. It can be the beginning of something extraordinary.
We need to recognize that there are decades of life ahead after menopause.
And how we support ourselves during this transition will play an important role in our health, vitality and quality of life in our post-menopause years.
Which leads me to one question I want you to ask yourselves:
Have we replaced the old silence around menopause with a new narrative of fear?
For generations, women did not talk about menopause. It was in the shadows.
Women suffered in silence, some were given HRT and all just went about their business, trying the best they could.
Now we are talking about it everywhere.
But are we inadvertently telling women that they should expect to struggle, debilitating symptoms, lose their vitality or expect aging diseases?
The conversation today is equating menopause with symptoms and a fear-based, negative narrative, that creates more anxiety and panic.
How would your experience of menopause change if we talked just as much about possibility, resilience and thriving as we do about symptoms and decline?
Happy International Menopause Day!
Jacqueline Rose
Menopause Educator & Coach
Founder, Menopause Informed Training
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