Amri Kibbler l Speaker + Advocate

At 45, cancer treatment put me into menopause overnight.

I was prepared for many of the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. I was far less prepared for what menopause would mean for my body and my long-term health.

Today is #worldmenopauseday2026 , and this year’s theme, Chronic Pain at Midlife, feels especially relevant.

According to the @internationalmenopausesociety , almost 3 in 4 women experience joint or muscle pain during perimenopause.

Yet chronic pain in midlife women is still too often overlooked or dismissed.

One of the biggest things I’ve taken away from studying women’s health this year is how fragmented our care can be.

We see different specialists for different symptoms. But who is looking at the whole picture?

As a cancer survivor, I’ve experienced how complicated that can become when the effects of treatment overlap with menopause and aging.

It’s also why I started @thespacebetween.cancer , a podcast about women and cancer, and everything cancer changes. Our bodies, relationships, identities, careers, and what it means to live well afterward.

I hope we can get to a place where women don’t have to become their own medical detectives just to understand what’s happening to their bodies.

I’m grateful to the International Menopause Society for bringing attention to this important issue and making evidence-based resources available.

Learn more: https://www.worldmenopauseday.com

#WorldMenopauseDay2026 #WomensHealth #Menopause #patientadvocacy