It is essential to see menopause as one stage in the continuum of women’s lives. The health status of a woman entering perimenopause is largely determined by her medical and gynaecological history, lifestyle and environmental factors. Symptoms in perimenopause and postmenopause can disrupt personal and professional life, and the changes associated with menopause will affect a woman’s health as she grows older. Consequently, care during perimenopause plays an important role in supporting healthy ageing and good quality of life.

Menopause can be a major transition socially as well as biologically. Socially, a woman’s experience of menopause may be influenced by gender norms, family and sociocultural factors, including how women’s ageing and the transition to menopause are perceived in her culture.

Worldwide, the population of postmenopausal women is increasing. In 2021, women aged 50 years and over represented 26% of all women and girls globally, a rise of 22% compared with 10 years earlier.(i) In addition, women are living longer. Globally, a woman aged 60 years in 2019 could expect to live, on average, a further 21 years.(ii)

Menopause can offer an important opportunity to review one’s health, examine lifestyle and reconsider goals.