MPOWER, an advocacy group of Jamaican women committed to reshaping the menopause narrative across the Caribbean region, will host an event on October 11 aimed at providing information on the perimenopause/menopause transition.

The event, to be held at the Scotiabank Corporate Learning Centre, Kingston 8, will feature a forum for women to ask questions of internationally accredited menopause and women’s health specialists.

“Our mission is to advance education, advocate for access to evidence-based information and treatments, and provide support to Jamaican women at a critical point in their personal and professional lives,” the group, which also aims to build a supportive, informed community, said in a news release.

The evening will feature the M Factor documentary, a groundbreaking film which presents evidence-based solutions to challenge the negativity associated with menopause, and empowers women to take control of their health.

The film features women from all walks of life who open up about the physical and mental anguish they live with every day. Doctors and policymakers speak out on the changes that need to be made, especially in the workplace where roughly 44 per cent of women are over the age of 45.

With insights from renowned experts including Dr Sharon Malone, Dr Mary Jane Minkin (Yale School of Medicine), Dr Wen Shen (Johns Hopkins Medicine), and Dr Stephanie Faubion (Mayo Clinic and The Menopause Society), the film dispels myths about hormone replacement therapy, evaluates over-the-counter supplements, and addresses how women of colour uniquely experience menopause.

There will also be an expert panel and a question-and-answer session with Dr Kudzai Dombo, a board-certified obstetrician-gynaecologist and menopause expert with 20 years of experience dedicated to women’s health. She is currently a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a Menopause Society certified practitioner, and a member of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health. She will be specifically addressing the unique experience and symptoms of menopause for women of colour.

Dr Dainia Baugh, consultant internist, menopause and women’s health expert, and chair of the Heart Institute of the Caribbean Foundation, will speak on the critical link between hormonal changes and cardiovascular health in women. Dr Baugh currently serves as a member of the Medical Council of Jamaica and is an adjunct associate professor of cardiology.

The other panellist will be Dr Michelle Bailey, 0bstetrician-gynaecologist and reproductive specialist. She is an integral part of the expert team at the Hugh Wynter Fertility Management Unit at the University Hospital of the West Indies, focused on sexual and reproductive health. She is also a lecturer at The University of the West Indies and is dedicated to advancing women’s midlife health conversations and care.