The World Congress on Menopause 2018 was a unique, educational event that brought together medical experts from around the world to discuss the gynecologic health of women during middle age and beyond. This year's meeting, packed with over 1,200 attendees from all over the world, took place in June in Vancouver.
Women Gather at the World Congress on Menopause
Sessions throughout the five-day meeting focused on all aspects of women's health, from neurology and sleep issues to heart health and hormone imbalances. Presenters also discussed gynecologic issues like abnormal uterine bleeding and fibroids. The conference started with an entire day of lectures and sessions focused on perimenopause, the period just before menopause when women start to produce less estrogen.
Passion for Holistic Care
Cindy Smrt, RDMS, RT, Global Clinical Lead for Gynecology at GE Healthcare, took note of the passion expressed by doctors to better the lives of postmenopausal women. Experts from around the world with diverse culture, access to care, traditions and patient populations respectfully debated care management for a wide range of conditions.
"It was interesting to hear these experts share a common goal of taking care of the well-being of middle-aged patients," said Smrt. "They are so caring overall, and they focus not just on managing the physical problems but also recognizing the psychological and social impact conditions like abnormal bleeding or incontinence can have."
Fibroids
Managing fibroids are a big part of a gynecologist's practice and was the subject of the plenary lecture on the second day of the conference. Marie-Madeleine Dolmans, MD, PhD, of Belgium, discussed managing fibroids in women during perimenopause as well as nonsurgical treatment options for women who want to preserve fertility.
Uterus with fibroid using OMNIViIEW Technology
Hormone Therapy
Many sessions focused on the use of hormones, from sessions on contraception to hormone therapy to androgens. Some research has found that women who previously couldn't take hormones can still successfully go through hormone therapy. Some hormones may still be effective in women who have had certain types of breast cancer.
Holistic Health
The diversity and depth of the presentations at the conference contributed to an overall focus on the holistic health of menopausal women. The session "Worldwide Trends in Menopausal Symptoms" brought together great minds from Peru, Australia, China, Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Mongolia and the U.S. to present diverse perspectives. Experts discussed the relationship between menopause and sexual health for aging women and the effects of this on their well-being.
Laser Therapy
Presenters from Italy and Argentina discussed urogenital disorders and the use of vaginal lasers for incontinence treatment. Smrt found sessions on the use of lasers to treat menopause symptoms particularly interesting. Lasers have mostly been used for cosmetic procedures such as vaginal rejuvenation but multiple presentations discussed their use in menopause.
Overall Wellness
Sleep, contraception, cardiovascular health, diabetes, urogynecology, cancer, bone health and more all made headlines during the sessions. Representatives discussed successes and challenges in their countries as well as research advances.
Overall, the five-day conference was packed full of information and camaraderie with gynecologists from around the world. Attendees of the World Congress on Menopause 2018 earned Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit while gaining new perspectives on popular health topics.
