Photo taken of the event planning committee at the May 3rd Menopause event. Representatives from event partners: UConn's Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP), Health Disparities Institute at UConn Health, The Aurora Foundation, and The Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity, & Opportunity (CWCSEO).
On May 3, 2025, over 100 attendees gathered at the Connecticut Legislative Office Building in downtown Hartford for a brunch that would spark a movement.
Presented by the Health Disparities Institute and The Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity, & Opportunity (CWCSEO) and in partnership with Aurora Women and Girls Foundation and the Farmington Valley CT Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, the event included a panel discussion and screening of The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause, a groundbreaking documentary that confronts the neglected crisis of menopause head-on. Medical experts shared their personal and professional experiences, while attendees shared stories, asked questions, and built a community of solidarity.
As one attendee put it, “This is about more than hot flashes and brain fog; it’s about dignity, support, and rewriting the narrative of aging for our generations now, before us, and after us.”
“It is NOT all in our heads…menopause inequities need to be acknowledged, listened to, and not treated as a deficit.”
Together, event organizers, panelists, and attendees identified a few strategies necessary to advance menopause equity in Connecticut. Health professionals and legislators need to recognize menopause as a health priority, address disparities in care, and create supportive workplace policies. They called for more research, better insurance coverage, and ongoing education—especially for communities that have been historically underserved.
Check out this feature in UConn Today to learn more about the event: “UConn Health Disparities Institute is Breaking the Silence Around Menopause”