"A Positive Pause" for Menopause: Survey Reveals Midlife Women Are Ready to Change the Conversation by National Menopause Foundation

Ready to pause for menopause? The National Menopause Foundation (NMF) launched A Positive Pause, a national awareness campaign for Menopause Awareness Month that culminates on World Menopause Day, Sunday, October 18, 2026. The campaign invites women and the people who love them to take a single, shared minute – at 10:18 a.m. on 10/18 – to stop, breathe and say one honest thing about menopause out loud.

The launch coincides with new national survey findings commissioned by NMF that reveal both how common the menopause transition is and how alone many women still feel in it. Sixty three percent of U.S. women ages 35 to 54 say they have experienced symptoms they believe are related to perimenopause or menopause, rising to 73 percent among women 45 to 54. Yet 49 percent say they felt "not very" or "not at all" prepared for the changes before they began, and 71 percent wish their partner, family, friends or coworkers understood more. Two in three (66 percent) say that menopause not being discussed openly makes the experience worse.

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But the data also points to something hopeful – and it's the heart of the campaign. Forty four percent of women say their outlook on life has become more positive since going through the transition. Asked to describe menopause as a movie genre, women most often chose "horror" (29 percent) – proof, NMF says, that honesty and humor can go hand in hand in finally bringing the conversation into the open.

"So much of what we're taught about menopause is about what we'll lose," said Claire Gill, founder and president, the National Menopause Foundation. "Our survey tells a different story – forty four percent of women say their outlook on life actually grew more positive as they moved through it. That's the truth I want every woman to hold onto. A Positive Pause asks us to stop for just sixty seconds on October 18th, say one honest thing about menopause, and listen. The more openly we talk about it, the less alone we feel."

How To take a Positive Pause

On Sunday, October 18 (World Menopause Day), anyone, anywhere can join in four simple steps:

1. At 10:18 a.m. your local time, pause for 60 seconds.
2. Post one menopause truth – something you wish you'd known or tag a woman who helped you through it.
3. Use #APositivePause and #WorldMenopauseDay, and tag @nationalmenopausefoundation (Instagram & Facebook) or National Menopause Foundation (LinkedIn).
4. Explore NMF's free resources – the Menopause Symptom Checklist and MicroCourses – at nationalmenopausefoundation.org.

Throughout the month, NMF is equipping board members, medical advisors, partner organizations, volunteers and employers with a free toolkit to amplify the message. On Friday, October 16, companies are invited to host Bring Your Menopause to Work Day – a simple, ready-made way for employers to support the one in one women in every workplace who will experience menopause.

"Menopause touches one in one women, yet half of us say we were never prepared for it," says Gill. "A Positive Pause changes that, one minute, one honest post, one shared moment on October 18th. I'd love for every woman, and everyone who loves one, to join us. The more openly we talk about this, the healthier and stronger we all become."

Source: National Menopause Foundation

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