Menopause Foundation of Canada unveils first national menopause policy agenda

The Menopause Foundation of Canada released what it calls the country’s first national Menopause Policy Agenda on Thursday, pressing federal, provincial and territorial governments to treat midlife women’s health as a workforce and equity issue — not a private struggle.

Unmanaged menopause symptoms cost the Canadian economy an estimated $3.5 billion and about 540,000 lost workdays a year, the foundation said, citing its earlier research. Roughly ten million Canadian women aged 40-plus are in some stage of menopause, and women over 40 make up a quarter of the paid workforce. Surveys cited by the foundation found one in two women feel unprepared for perimenopause or menopause, and two in five feel their symptoms were undertreated.

The agenda lists seven government priorities: mandate menopause education for all physicians and nurse practitioners; close inequitable care gaps (widest for Black, Indigenous and racialized women, newcomers, rural residents, gender-diverse people and those with lower incomes); adjust fee structures so clinicians are paid for proper care; make menopause medicines accessible and affordable; fund menopause research; strengthen menopause-inclusive workplaces; and expand public awareness to cut stigma. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, the Canadian Menopause Society, Black Physicians of Canada and other groups endorsed the push. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau was named the foundation’s first ambassador.

Canada still has no national menopause strategy or standardized clinician curriculum, The Globe and Mail noted in its coverage — a gap the blueprint is meant to fill as advocates urge Canadians to write their elected representatives through a new campaign.

This article summarizes public advocacy and reporting for general information only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult a qualified clinician about individual symptoms or care options.

Sources: CNW / Menopause Foundation of Canada; The Globe and Mail.