Women and wellness advocates have called for greater awareness, family support and access to reliable health information to help women navigate menopause, stressing the importance of open conversations, preventive healthcare and healthy lifestyle choices.
They made the call at the Menopause West Africa Experience 2026, held at the Landmark Centre, Lagos, where participants shared their experiences and discussed ways to address misconceptions surrounding menopause and improve support for women during midlife.
Speaking to a cross session of women and health stakeholders, a faculty head at Warren Rose Academy, Oladoyin Romeo said the event was her first exposure to a programme of its kind in Nigeria.

She said menopause could affect women’s work, family life, relationships and general wellbeing, adding that access to accurate information and supportive communities could help women navigate the transition with greater confidence.
According to her, menopause should not be treated as a disease, while men should make efforts to understand the physiological changes women experience and respond with patience and empathy.
Romeo also noted that social media could help bridge information gaps by making conversations about women’s health more accessible.

Similarly, Ogechi Florence Odede, Chief Executive Officer of Floxy Island World, said attending the event had improved her understanding of perimenopause, the transition leading to menopause.
Odede, 41, who travelled from Ajegunle after seeing the event’s promotion on social media, said she had experienced mood changes and occasional body pains.
She said the discussions helped her better understand some of the changes women may experience during midlife, although such symptoms can have different causes and do not, on their own, establish that a woman is experiencing perimenopause.

Introduced as a menopause awareness ambassador, Odede said she intended to share the information with women in her community.
She also acknowledged her husband’s encouragement to attend the event, urging men to be patient with their wives, listen to their concerns and give them space when needed.
Coach Bobbie Tee known as Saula- Babatope Francis, founder of Happy Heart Fitness, said exercise and preventive healthcare is very important to live.

Fitness and physical activity also featured prominently in discussions about women’s wellbeing as coach Bobbie Tee took the women through fitness exercise.
According to him, he had worked with women at different stages of life, including those experiencing perimenopause and menopause.
He encouraged women to incorporate suitable physical activities, such as walking, dancing and strength exercises, into their routines to support their general wellbeing.

Coach Bobbie Tee also advised people with existing health conditions to seek appropriate medical guidance before beginning or changing an exercise programme.
For gospel minister and wellness advocate Faderera Adu, popularly known as Faderera Mercified, the event provided an opportunity to promote preventive healthcare and encourage women to monitor their health regularly.
A vendor at the event, she said she offered free blood pressure and blood sugar checks to 36 women.

Adu, who is associated with PhytoScience, also introduced products including Double Stemcell, Crystal Cell and SnowPhyll Forte. She encouraged women to seek professional medical advice and pay attention to their health.
Wellness services and consultations is very germane for lives.
The event also provided opportunities for wellness practitioners to engage attendees through consultations, demonstrations and complimentary services. The women appreciated the organisers , free health consultation and knowledge about Menopause

Mr Sola Atinsola, a physio- therapist with Gracious Jenny Wellness Center, said the centre had increased the number of free massage sessions it initially planned to offer, eventually providing 25 sessions.
Atinsola said the centre participated to support women’s wellbeing and introduce attendees to its wellness services.

Ambassador Mrs Justina Ojareno, a health and wellness advocate and OlyLife representative, said she engaged more than 50 attendees through product consultations and discussions about health and wellness.
Ojareno described her participation as an opportunity to educate women, answer questions and encourage them to take their health seriously, particularly during menopause.
She said one of the highlights of her participation was offering free sessions to at least 15 people using the OlyLife Terap90 device. She also distributed bottled water to attendees at her stand.
According to Ojareno, the experience was rewarding because it allowed her to connect with women and provide information about the product she represented.

She described the device as using pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) and terahertz technology. However, claims that it detoxifies cells, restores damaged cells or treats conditions such as diabetes, chronic pain, insomnia and inflammation require independent scientific evidence and should not be presented as established medical benefits.
Ojareno said the appreciation expressed by women who visited her stand, including messages received after the event, reinforced her belief that service involved more than promoting products.
She said listening to people, responding to their concerns and helping them understand their options were also important aspects of health and wellness advocacy.

The event featured the Pause & Flourish Lounge, which offered wellness engagements, individual consultations, fitness and movement activities, nutrition guidance and lifestyle experiences. The Pure Stories Studio provided another platform for women to share their experiences.
Participants stressed that women should have access to reliable information and appropriate professional guidance when making decisions about their health.

Earlier at the event, the Menopause West Africa initiative unveiled 100 menopause champions to promote awareness and encourage open conversations about midlife health among women in their communities.
Chairman of the Organising Committee, Clifford Okwesi, said menopause had remained a subject many women were reluctant to discuss because of societal attitudes towards ageing.
He noted that some women mistakenly viewed menopause as a spiritual attack or a development that diminished their worth, stressing the need for accurate information and greater public understanding. He disclosed sadly that one of his co-founders loss his mother through Menopause related issues .
Okwesi explained that each of the 100 champions would reach out to women in their communities to spread awareness and encourage conversations among younger and older women.

He said the initiative was designed to ensure that menopause education extended beyond conference halls into communities where women might have limited opportunities to access reliable information.
Veteran Nollywood actress Patience Ozokwor, popularly known as Mama G, called on influential women, particularly the wives of the President, governors and local government chairmen, to support menopause education, especially in rural communities.
She urged women to take their health seriously, remain physically active, seek professional medical advice and adopt healthy lifestyle habits. She also stressed that women should prioritise their wellbeing early in life rather than wait until old age to make necessary changes.
The President of the Customs Officers’ Wives Association, Mrs Kikilomo Adeniyi, represented by the Chairperson of its Tincan Island Command, Mrs Caroline Ifeoluwa, described menopause as a new chapter in a woman’s life rather than the end of her womanhood.

She said the association planned to extend awareness campaigns to churches, schools and other public spaces to encourage broader conversations about women’s health.
The event, themed “Advancing the Conversation on Women’s Health, Wellbeing and Institutional Support,” also featured a keynote address by Lauren Chiren, founder of Women of a Certain Stage in the United Kingdom.
Chiren advocated practical support and informed choices to help women navigate different stages of life, while a panel session titled “Policy, Practice, Power & Perception” examined how institutional practices and public attitudes shape women’s experiences of menopause.
The organisers also gave out 1,000 packs of Menofix product to the participants
Stakeholders called for sustained collaboration among community organisations, healthcare professionals, families and institutions to ensure that menopause was discussed more openly and understood as a natural stage of life rather than a source of shame or stigma.