Is Your Community Menopause Ready?
- Vonayi Nyamazana
- Apr 21
- 2 min read
We prepare for many life milestones—puberty, marriage, motherhood, retirement.
But when it comes to menopause, there’s often silence. Especially in Black African and ethnic minority communities, menopause is still shrouded in silence, whispers, and misinformation. Women are expected to “just get on with it,” while juggling work, family, ministry, and community responsibilities—all while their bodies, minds, and emotions go through a seismic transformation.
The question we must now ask is:
Is your community menopause ready?
What Does a Menopause-Ready Community Look Like?
It’s more than a few leaflets in a GP’s office or an annual awareness post. A menopause-ready community is informed, supportive, and safe. It acknowledges the transition, respects the journey, and walks alongside women with care.
Here’s what that could look like:
1. Informed Faith and Cultural Leaders
Many women turn to their churches, mosques, temples, and community leaders for guidance. But too often, those leaders are unequipped to support or even acknowledge menopause.
Do our pastors and elders understand the emotional, spiritual, and physical impact of menopause?
Are our women’s ministries providing safe, non-judgmental spaces for honest conversations?
2. Education Beyond Biology
We need education that speaks not just to the science of menopause, but also the cultural and emotional dimensions—particularly for women of African, Caribbean, Asian, and other global majority backgrounds.
Are we educating young women and men so they’re not caught unaware?
Are midlife women being taught about perimenopause before it takes them by surprise?
3. Safe Spaces to Speak Freely
Shame, fear of judgment, and the need to “stay strong” keep many women silent. That silence can isolate and break them down from the inside out.
Are there safe spaces for women to speak freely about their symptoms, struggles, and solutions?
Can we normalise saying words like “hot flush,” “vaginal dryness,” “rage,” and “brain fog” without being embarrassed?
4. Workplace and Community Support
Women don’t stop leading, working, or caregiving during menopause. But without support, they burn out.
Are local businesses and organisations creating menopause-inclusive policies?
Are community groups offering practical support for women navigating fatigue, brain fog, or anxiety?
Why It Matters for Us
In Black African communities, we’ve mastered the art of resilience. But resilience without rest, understanding, and compassion becomes self-neglect.
Many women are struggling silently, over-functioning while under-supported.
And the result?
Late diagnoses. Misunderstood symptoms. Relationship breakdowns. Mental health struggles. And lost potential.
We owe our sisters more.
The Shift Starts With Us
If you’re a community leader, ask:
Have I created space for women to be vulnerable and seen?
If you’re a woman in midlife, ask:
What support do I need—and where can I start building it?
If you’re an ally, ask:
How can I stand with the women in my life during this transition?
Let’s Build Menopause-Ready Communities
We prepare for other life stages with ceremonies, conversations, and community.
It’s time we do the same for menopause.
Because when one woman is supported, whole families and communities thrive.
Let’s be the generation that changes the narrative.
What would a menopause-ready community look like to you?
Is your community there yet—or do we have work to do?
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