I’m pissed.
I know this isn’t my usual tone, but I have something important I need to share with you and I just can’t sugar coat how I’m feeling right now.
I’ve been working behind the scenes for a few years now to help change how women in perimenopause and menopause are seen and treated in Canada. I presented our published research to Federal government officials and asked them, point blank, to make women’s health a priority. To create systems, awareness campaigns, and affordable treatment options so that every Canadian woman feels heard and validated.
And you know what? Their reactions were genuine. They couldn’t believe how many symptoms there really are. They had no idea how many women are being dismissed by their doctors. They even understood how much money, time, and heartache it would save women across the country if we just got this right.
But here we are. Years later. And we’re still waiting for real change at the federal level.
I keep asking myself why. Why is women’s health still not a priority? We are 51% of the population. Every single one of us who is blessed to live long enough will go through it. So why are we still being ignored?
Lisa Boate and I recently recorded a podcast episode about something we’re both really passionate about – getting perimenopause and menopause added to elementary and high school curriculums. We didn’t just talk about it though. We actually had a meeting with the Ministry of Education in Ontario and the conversation went well. They were open to our suggestions. They took notes. They said they’d keep us in mind when they update the curriculum.
When being the key word here.
The last time Ontario updated its elementary curriculum was 2019. Right before the pandemic. And when I asked when the next update would be, they said they didn’t know. They couldn’t give us an answer. Which means our daughters and our sons could be waiting years before they learn about any of this in school.
And this isn’t just an Ontario or Canada tissue. This is everywhere. Women’s health, especially perimenopause and menopause, isn’t a priority for governments, schools, workplaces, research. All of it.
So yes. I’m pissed. And honestly…you should be too.
But here’s the thing. I got a text recently from my friend Lori. Her 25-year-old daughter heard about my book and book launch and is excited to read it and come and learn more.
That text completely shifted something in me.
We can’t sit around waiting for governments and school systems to catch up. That could take years. So, we have to do this ourselves. We have to be the generation that breaks the silence and makes sure the people coming after us, our daughters, sons, younger friends and colleagues, have the knowledge we never had. We have to help educate them so they’re prepared.
When I first started planning my book launch on May 7th in Toronto, I imagined it being mostly for women 35+ and their partners. But not anymore. I want everyone there. Anyone old enough to understand what my fellow menopause experts and I will be sharing that night. Because learning together is how we change this, one conversation at a time, using the right tools for science-backed information.
I’m proud, and honored to say, my new book, Nourishing Menopause: Powerful Nutrition & Lifestyle Strategies to Feel Your Best, is one of those tools.
My friend and colleague, Ann Marie McQueen, founder of Hotflash inc, said it gives a really full picture of what’s going on during this time in a woman’s life, without any judgment. She also wrote this endorsement that I’m honestly still a little emotional about:
“Andrea Donsky has achieved no mean feat: writing the most well-rounded book on how to handle perimenopause and menopause to hit the market. She understands this is a multi-level transition and supporting it requires a range of approaches. I love how deeply this book dives into symptoms – Andrea is a leader in this area of research after all – along with gut health, food as medicine, our nervous system, our sense of self and our relationships too. Her depth of knowledge crosses spectrums and divides, and that is no mean feat in today’s polarized wellness climate. I had a much better understanding of how my own body works after reading it – and I thought I was pretty knowledgeable! Even the title of this book, and the intentional use of the word nourishing, are an invitation for people who have been struggling to exhale and know they are in very good hands.”
If you’re in Toronto, I really hope you can join me and my guests in person. You can register for your ticket here. You can also pre-order a copy of my book from that same link and pick it up that night. I’ll sign it for you at the event.
If you can’t make it in person, you can pre-order your copy here if you’re in Canada, and here if you’re in the U.S. or Europe.
I’m done waiting. Are you?
Let’s do this!
Andrea 💛
P.S. You can listen to my conversation with Lisa Boate on Apple, Spotify or anywhere else you listen to podcasts. You can also watch it on YouTube here.
Please share this article far and wide. We are stronger together and change starts with us.
