World Menopause Day 2026 WATOG Africa Calls on OB-GYN Trainees/Residents to Shape the Future of Menopause Care
Advancing Menopause Education Through Global Collaboration, Stronger Training, and Better Women’s Health Outcomes Every woman deserves informed, compassionate, and evidence-based care throughout every stage of her life. Yet, menopause medicine remains an area where gaps in knowledge, clinical exposure, and structured training can influence the quality of care women receive. As the world commemorates World Menopause Day on 18 October 2026, the World Association of Trainees in Obstetrics and Gynecology (WATOG), in collaboration with the European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS), has launched a global research initiative aimed at strengthening menopause education among the next generation of obstetricians and gynaecologists. The study, titled Knowledge and Training of Obstetrics and Gynecology Residents in Menopause Medicine: A WATOG-EMAS Global Collaborative Study, seeks to assess the current state of menopause education, identify gaps in residency training, and establish the educational needs of OB-GYN residents worldwide. Why Menopause Education Matters Menopause is a significant stage in a woman’s life, accompanied by physical, psychological, and hormonal changes that may affect her health, well-being, relationships, and quality of life. Despite its importance, menopause medicine may not always receive sufficient attention in structured postgraduate obstetrics and gynaecology training. Residents may encounter women experiencing menopausal symptoms in routine clinical practice without having received adequate formal instruction or comprehensive clinical exposure to address their needs confidently. Strengthening menopause education is therefore essential to equipping future specialists with the knowledge and skills required to provide individualised, evidence-based care, support healthy ageing, recognise associated health risks, and improve women’s experiences of the menopausal transition. Closing these educational gaps begins with understanding the current reality of training across different institutions, healthcare systems, and regions of the world. A Global Collaborative Study to Strengthen Residency Training The WATOG-EMAS study provides an opportunity to examine menopause medicine education from the perspective of the trainees who experience it directly. By gathering insights from OB-GYN residents across the globe, the study aims to identify areas of strength, uncover unmet educational needs, and inform future efforts to strengthen menopause training within residency programmes. Importantly, the participation of residents from diverse geographical, cultural, and healthcare settings will help ensure that the findings reflect a broad range of training experiences rather than a limited institutional or regional perspective. For Africa, this is an important opportunity to contribute to the global conversation on menopause education. The experiences of African OB-GYN residents, including their clinical exposure, curriculum content, available learning opportunities, and training challenges, deserve to be represented in research that seeks to inform the future of menopause medicine. A strong global evidence base begins with the voices of those being trained today. Calling All OB-GYN Residents: Your Participation Matters Participate in the WATOG-EMAS Global Collaborative Study: Click here to complete the survey WATOG Africa warmly invites all obstetrics and gynaecology trainees and residents to participate in this global collaborative study. Whether you are in the early or advanced stages of residency, your experience matters. You may have received extensive training in menopause medicine, limited formal teaching, or acquired much of your knowledge through clinical practice. Every perspective can help build a clearer understanding of the current educational landscape. By completing the survey, you will contribute to a collective effort to: Identify educational gaps in menopause medicine across residency programmes. Highlight training needs that can guide future educational initiatives. Strengthen postgraduate curricula and opportunities for clinical learning. Amplify the perspectives of trainees across different countries and healthcare systems. Support better care for women through stronger preparation of future obstetricians and gynaecologists. Your participation is more than completing a questionnaire. It is an opportunity to help shape the education, clinical competence, and professional preparedness of future OB-GYN specialists. Take Action: Participate and Share We encourage every eligible OB-GYN resident to complete the survey and share it with fellow trainees, colleagues, residency programme coordinators, departmental heads, and professional networks. Department representatives and institutional leaders are also encouraged to circulate the survey widely to help ensure that trainees from diverse settings have an opportunity to contribute. Participate in the WATOG-EMAS Global Collaborative Study here: COMPLETE THE SURVEY → Please share the survey through your departmental communication channels, trainee groups, professional associations, and relevant academic networks. A wider reach will help the study capture a more diverse range of training experiences. Together, Let Us Advance Menopause Medicine World Menopause Day reminds us that women’s health needs extend across the life course. Preparing the next generation of obstetricians and gynaecologists to provide high-quality menopause care is an essential part of that commitment. Through this collaboration, WATOG and EMAS are creating an opportunity to listen to trainees, identify educational priorities, and contribute to a stronger foundation for menopause medicine worldwide. To every OB-GYN resident: your voice matters, your experience counts, and your participation can help shape the future of menopause education. Complete the survey. Share it with your colleagues. Help ensure that the voices of trainees across Africa and around the world contribute to a global effort to strengthen menopause training and improve women’s health. TAKE THE SURVEY NOW →
