The International Menopause Society (IMS) was formed in 1978, a time when the specialty of reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) was, if not in its infancy, certainly in its adolescence.
The first great breakthrough for REI came with the development of the combined oral contraceptive in the 1960s, a remarkable amalgamation of libertarian aspiration (Margaret Sanger, libertarian), financial support (Katherine McCormick, suffragette), science (Gregory Pincus, zoologist) and last, but not least, patients, commitment and personal sacrifice (John Rock, gynecologist). The second great breakthrough, In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), was in play in 1978 but was not announced until 1980 when the first baby conceived using IVF was born.
The oral contraceptive liberated women from the fear of unplanned pregnancy and, over the years, has been modified to offer greater safety and numerous ‘non-contraceptive’ benefits for millions of women worldwide. IVF has given hope to the approximately 15% of couples previously defined as being infertile and, today, one of every 20 babies born globally is due to IVF [Citation1]. These two achievements have changed the lives of women worldwide, mostly for the better, but, despite this, they have not been without controversy.
Scientific endeavor and medicine have always tested the beliefs of our broader society and a balance between ‘progress’, ethics, and the common good is needed.
Amongst the founders of the IMS in 1978 were biological scientists, social scientists and clinicians. Many had links to other areas of REI, as is the case today, but devoted much of their time to the field of post reproductive and midlife women’s health [Citation2].
From the start, the IMS Mission Statement was broadly based, reflecting the range of views of the foundation members, and today the same is true. The IMS Mission Statement in 2022 is ‘to work globally to promote and support access to best practice health care for women through their menopause transition and post reproductive years, enabling them to achieve optimal health and well-being’. IMS’ aspiration is to ensure that all women across the world will have easy and equitable access to evidence-based knowledge and health care, empowering them to make fully informed midlife health choices.
The IMS is a society of individuals, many of whom have contributed to the large body of scientific research which underpins our care of women today and IMS writing groups have also authored substantial clinical practice guidelines and recommendations [Citation3] and convened, under the leadership of past president Tobie de Villiers, a Global Consensus Statement on menopausal hormone therapy [Citation4], supported by major societies globally. The latter is a particularly important document as there can be little doubt that the use of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) has been a controversial issue in the care of midlife women, particularly following publication of data from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) randomized clinical trials [Citation5]. Strong endorsement of MHT, for appropriate indications in appropriate women, has always been a pillar of IMS’ recommendations for the care of midlife women and, despite the substantial controversy surrounding release of the initial WHI data, long-term follow-up and ongoing research have clearly demonstrated that IMS’ position is correct. The WHI randomized clinical trials were outstanding trials which taught us many things, not least that MHT should not be initiated in older postmenopausal women and that synthetic estrogens and progestogens should be avoided in favor of natural body-identical alternatives. They did not teach us that MHT should be avoided.
However, it would be a mistake to conclude that the IMS is a society dedicated principally to MHT. Indeed, the current IMS Recommendations state that ‘consideration of MHT should be part of an overall strategy including lifestyle recommendations for maintaining the health of peri- and postmenopausal women’. MHT is not for every woman and choices surrounding overall management of midlife women’s health will differ between women and their clinicians and between regions and between nations. The IMS is a broad church with members in most countries of the world and with 46 members of the Council of Affiliated Menopause Societies. The society journal, Climacteric, has, in the past 2 years, accepted for publication papers from authors in 58 nations on a broad range of topics in clinical and social sciences relating to midlife women’s health. The current issue includes contributions from authors in 10 different countries. Papers are published in English and, additionally, abstracts are also published in Spanish and Mandarin.
A perusal of medical journal search engines clearly demonstrates that ‘Menopausal Medicine’ has developed into a detailed sub-specialty requiring understanding and assessment of midlife women’s health with input from experts across many disciplines. For each of us to offer the best possible health care to our patients, wherever we live and work, we must also avail ourselves of this information and maintain currency with regular updates. The IMS seeks to provide that via Climacteric, via webinars, via professional resources, via the IMPART educational courses and, of course, via our regular IMS World Congresses on Menopause.
The 18th IMS World Congress on Menopause will be held in Lisbon, Portugal from 26th to 29th October, 2022. The Congress theme is ‘Celebrating Women’s Health at Midlife and Beyond’ and will be broadly based covering all areas of midlife health for women of all nations. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to submit an abstract for presentation at this meeting. If you are considering submitting a paper to Climacteric, this is an excellent opportunity to showcase your research and, if you are keen to publish but need help, there will be a session on ‘how to get your paper published’.
Most of all, I encourage you to attend. The past 2 years have been difficult for all of us and the 18th World Congress on Menopause provides us all with a wonderful opportunity to learn more, to upgrade our skills, to renew old friendships and to make new ones.
I hope to see you there.
References
- Baber R. Treating menopausal women: Have we lost our way? Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2021;61(4):493–495.
- Baber RJ, Wright J. A brief history of the international menopause society. Climacteric. 2017;20(2):85–90.
- Baber R, Panay N, Fenton A, IMS Writing Group. 2016 IMS Recommendations on women's midlife health and menopause hormone therapy. Climacteric. 2016;19(2):109–150.
- De Villiers TJ, Hall JE, Pinkerton J, et al. Revised Global Consensus Statement on Menopausal Hormone Therapy. Climacteric. 2016;19(4):313–315.
- The Writing Group for The Women’s Health Initiative Investigators. Risks and benefits of estrogen plus progestin therapy in healthy postmenopausal women. JAMA. 2002;288:321–333.