Menopause Foundation of Canada Calls for Action with First-Ever Menopause Policy Agenda for Canada

Canadians urged to add their voice in new advocacy campaign to transform menopause care, research, and support, joining MFC Ambassador Sophie Grégoire Trudeau

TORONTO, Oct. 1, 2026 /CNW/ -- The Menopause Foundation of Canada (MFC) is calling on governments across the country to act now to support millions of women experiencing menopause--a major health transition with far-reaching consequences for the healthcare system, society, and workplaces. The Menopause Policy Agenda for Canada sets out seven priorities for equitable menopause care, better outcomes in women's health, and a stronger economy. Canadians are encouraged to add their voice through a new advocacy campaign.

"Despite more conversation about menopause, systemic barriers are keeping women from getting the care they deserve," said Janet Ko, MFC President and Co-Founder. "We all bear the cost when half the population is failed. The Menopause Policy Agenda for Canada gives decision makers the blueprint for urgently needed change. It's an opportunity for Canada to lead the world in equitable menopause care and support."

Unmanaged menopause symptoms cost the Canadian economy an estimated $3.5 billion and 540,000 lost workdays every year.¹ Access to menopause care isn't equal, with care gaps widest for Indigenous, Black and racialized women, newcomers, people living in rural and remote communities, gender-diverse individuals, and those with lower incomes.^2, 3 

The Menopause Policy Agenda for Canada calls on governments to: 

1. Train providers: mandate menopause education for all physicians and nurse practitioners
2. Close care gaps: make menopause care equitable for all
3. Pay fairly: incentivize physicians to provide quality menopause care 
4. Expand treatment access: make menopause medicines accessible and affordable
5. Fund the science: invest in menopause research
6. Support workers: strengthen the economy through menopause-inclusive workplaces
7. Break the stigma: raise public awareness of menopause

MFC is encouraging Canadians to amplify the call for menopause action by sending a letter to their elected representatives.

It's an opportunity to drive real change, said MFC Ambassador, women's and mental health advocate, speaker, and author Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. "Right now, too many women are dismissed, misdiagnosed, or left to figure it out alone. The Menopause Policy Agenda for Canada is a call to change that, so people can move through this transition with knowledge, with care, and eventually, with the celebration it deserves."

Menopause Facts

• The menopause continuum includes perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. Menopause occurs through natural, surgical (following oophorectomy), or medically induced (e.g., chemotherapy or suppressive endocrine therapy) means. Many women are in a stage of menopause for ~40% of their lives, with those who enter menopause prematurely or early spending the majority of their adult lives in the menopausal state.
• There are approximately ten million Canadian women aged 40-plus in a stage of menopause; women over 40 make up one-quarter of Canada's paid workforce.⁴
• The fastest growing cohort of working women are between the ages of 45 and 55, when most will reach menopause.⁴ 
• Unmanaged symptoms of menopause cost the Canadian economy an estimated $3.5 billion and 540,000 lost days of work annually.¹
• One in two women feel unprepared for perimenopause/menopause.⁵
• 95% of women experience an average of seven symptoms.⁵ 
• Only 25% of women say their healthcare provider proactively discussed menopause with them. When women raised menopause themselves, 75% say the conversation was not helpful or only somewhat helpful.⁵
• 40% of women feel their symptoms were undertreated by their healthcare provider.⁵

Visit MenopauseEssentials.ca, MFC's digital guide, to learn more about menopause, its stages and symptoms, treatments, and additional resources.

Support for the Menopause Policy Agenda for Canada

"Physicians want to be part of the solution and provide women with the menopause care they need. That is why the SOGC supports the Menopause Policy Agenda for Canada and continues to call for better menopause training for all front-line health practitioners as part of a broader effort to close gaps in menopause care across the country." Dr. Nicholas Leyland, President, Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada

"The Menopause Policy Agenda for Canada tackles a gap our members see every day in clinical practice: too many women go without the care and information they need. The Canadian Menopause Society is glad to support the Menopause Foundation of Canada's work to bring these issues the national attention they deserve." Dr. Claudio Soares, Executive Director, Canadian Menopause Society

"We support the Menopause Policy Agenda for Canada and its call for stronger, more equitable menopause care. We know that Black, Indigenous, and racialized women too often face significant gaps in care. Better menopause education for healthcare providers is essential to ensuring that every patient receives the care they deserve." Dr. Nnamdi Ndubuka, President, Black Physicians of Canada. 

"Menopause care and support doesn't exist in isolation. It's part of the broader picture of women's health equity that the Women's Health Coalition is pursuing. We support the Menopause Policy Agenda for Canada and MFC's efforts to turn that into real change for women across Canada." Carmen Wyton, Founder and Chair, Women's Health Coalition

"Women's health research remains chronically underfunded, and menopause is one of the clearest examples of how this affects women's health and well-being. As an alliance of leading Canadian women's health foundations and research institutes, we're proud to support the Menopause Policy Agenda for Canada and its call for meaningful investment in mid-life women's health." Amy Flood, Executive Director, Women's Health Collective Canada

About the Menopause Foundation of Canada

The Menopause Foundation of Canada (MFC) is a national non-profit advocacy organization created to raise awareness of the impact of menopause on women and society. MFC's mission is to eliminate the social stigma and taboos associated with menopause. The organization is dedicated to closing the menopause knowledge gap, improving access to menopause care and treatment and creating menopause inclusive workplaces. Learn more at MenopauseFoundationCanada.ca.

_______________________________

¹ Menopause Foundation of Canada. (2023). Menopause and work in Canada [Report]. https://menopausefoundationcanada.ca/menopause-and-work-in-canada-report/ 

² Boparai, J. K., Canning, J., Chan, K., & Wijayasinghe, S. (2026). Recognizing ethnic and cultural variation in menopause care. Canadian Family Physician, 72(7–8), 446–448. 

³ Brotto, L. A., Dobrer, S., Adshade, M., Booth, A., Dewar, K., Gustafson, K., Hsieh, C. L., Prestley, N., Santana Parrilla, J., Smith, L., Weir, S., Yong, P. J., & Ogilvie, G. (2026). A cross-sectional cohort study of menopause-related symptoms in British Columbia. Maturitas, 207, 108874.

⁴ Statistics Canada. (n.d.). Labour force characteristics by sex and detailed age group, annual (Table 14‑10‑0327‑01). Government of Canada. https://doi.org/10.25318/1410032701‑eng 

⁵ Menopause Foundation of Canada. (2022). The silence and the stigma: Menopause in Canada [Report]. https://menopausefoundationcanada.ca/menopause-in-canada-report/

SOURCE The Menopause Foundation of Canada

For further information, please contact: [email protected]