The Parliament of the Canary Islands hosted this Thursday the I Conference on Menopause in the Canary Islands, under the slogan “Menopause with rights: visibility, health and public policies”, a pioneering meeting in the Archipelago that brought together institutional leaders, health professionals, social entities and experts in different disciplines to comprehensively address this vital stage from a perspective of public health, equality and rights.
During the institutional inauguration, the president of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, Astrid Pérez Batista, underlined the need to break the historical silence that has surrounded menopause and to advocate for a positive, informed, and stigma-free vision. "It is said that menopause marks an end, but perhaps it is fairer to say that it marks a rebirth. At fifty, the best part of our lives can begin, and we deserve to live this stage happily," she stated.
Pérez recalled that, for decades, menopause has been a silenced process, unfairly associated with degradation, old age, and the loss of social value for women. "If we don't talk about menopause, it doesn't exist, and that silence has led us to ignorance of the biological process itself, to stigma, and to loneliness."
The event, driven by the Parliament of the Canary Islands and the Más Mujer Canarias Association (AMMCA), has as its main objective to advance towards a future Canary Strategy on Menopause, promoting a multidisciplinary approach that integrates healthcare, psychological support, health education, nutrition, labor adaptations, and institutional commitment.
The program included specialized lectures, round tables, and a participatory space. The keynote lecture “Menopause: health, science, and rights from a gender perspective,” by menopause expert gynecologist Dr. Matilde Gómez Frieiro, stood out, as did the presentations on healthy eating during this stage, given by dietitian-nutritionist Paula Marrero, and on emotional support and mental health, by clinical psychologist Marilyn Oymann.
The day concluded with the participatory workshop “Rewriting Menopause: Listening, Words, and Body”, an experiential space aimed at reframing language, sharing experiences, and reconnecting with the body from a positive perspective.