Menopause is a natural stage of life, but suffering in silence shouldn’t be. That is the message behind World Menopause Day, observed every year on Oct. 18. Established by the International Menopause Society (IMS) in 2009, the initiative aims to raise awareness and improve access to information and care, helping women maintain their quality of life during the menopausal transition and beyond.

The IMS is led by Italian Professor Rossella Nappi, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Pavia, Head of its Center for Research in Reproductive Medicine, and Director of the Gynecological Endocrinology and Menopause Unit at the IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo in Pavia.

Nappi has served as IMS President since 2024. On Sunday, Oct. 18, she will join SAE Salute, the SAE Group’s Health and Wellness news platform, to mark World Menopause Day.

Starting at 3 p.m. Italy time, Nappi will take part in a public livestream on the websites and social media channels of SAE Group newspapers. She will speak with Dr. Daniela de Feo, a gynecologist who leads the Women’s Health area at SAE Salute and serves on the IMS Board of Directors. Actress Martina Colombari, author of Il cambiamento sei tu (The Change Is You), published by Sperling & Kupfer, will contribute a video message. Journalist Francesca Ferri will moderate.

According to figures from Italy’s Health Ministry Department of Prevention, updated as of June 30, 2026, an estimated 17 million women in Italy are in menopause, with another 450,000 entering it each year.

“Menopause is a time of change in a woman’s life, and it can affect her quality of life and ability to work,” Nappi says. It can also bring risk factors that may affect long-term health and longevity.

Because menopause typically occurs around age 50, and women can expect to live another 35 or even 40 years after their final menstrual period, helping them remain healthy and feel well in the decades ahead is essential, she says.

The first step is to reject the misconception that because menopause is “natural,” its symptoms must simply be endured.

“If I have hot flashes, insomnia or vaginal dryness, there are things we can do today — and we should,” Nappi says.

These are not necessarily minor inconveniences. Estrogen, she explains, provides a form of biological protection for the body. “When that protection is lost during menopause, all the body’s organs and systems can be affected.”

The transition can also take an emotional toll, affecting self-esteem and relationships with partners. “Perhaps this is the taboo surrounding menopause: not wanting to talk about having lost something,” Nappi says.

Breaking that silence is essential. Hormone replacement therapy, nonhormonal treatments and menopause as a social issue — rather than a purely private experience — will all be discussed during Sunday’s event.

The conversation will also address this year’s theme: “Chronic Pain in Midlife: From Recognition to Evidence-Based Care.”

World Menopause Day is more than an awareness campaign. It is a call to replace silence with knowledge, the normalization of symptoms with proper assessment, and generic information with evidence-based care.