Guard Your Health

Dear fellows and friends,

    It's a great pleasure to meet you in beautiful Hangzhou to discuss health issues related to menopause and the whole life cycle of women.

    First of all, on behalf of the community of menopause management and gynecological endocrinology in China, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the online and offline participants from home and abroad! I would also express my heartfelt thanks to all the staff for their hard work in preparing this conference!

    Under the background of regular control of COVID-19 pandemic, the Scientific Meeting of Asia Pacific Menopause Federation gathers us together both online and offline for the first time. The theme of this conference is "Go Easy With Menopause, Guard Your Health". It provides an opportunity for experts and scholars of gynecological endocrinology and menopause to engage in insightful discussion and interactive exchange on the latest progress and hot issues, and it also serves as a platform for showcasing cutting-edge developments of science and technology in those fields, and for manifesting the perfect combination and mutual promotion of technology and academy.

    Modern life endows women with more roles; modern women are not only busy with work, but also take care of family. The role at different stages of life makes women feel stressed, especially menopausal women. Due to the decline of ovarian function, neuroendocrine regulation function and immune function, there are increasing health problems, from abnormal menstruation and menopausal symptoms to psychological problems such as depression and anxiety, to all kinds of gynecological diseases, osteoporosis, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases. All these impose serious impact on the physical and mental health of menopausal and postmenopausal women.

    In 2020, there were about 727 million people above the age of 65 in the world, accounting for 9.3% of the total population. By 2050, the number is expected to more than double to 1.5 billion. The proportion of the elderly in the global population is expected to increase from 9.3% in 2020 to 16.0% in 2050. By the middle of this century, there will be one person aged over 65 in every six people in the world, and at least half of them will be women. Aging has become one of the important wellbeing issues facing all countries in the world. As the most densely populated region in the world, Asia Pacific is also the region with the largest and fastest-growing menopausal population. As the health guardian of menopausal women, we still have a long way to go.

    Su Shi, a great poet of the Song Dynasty, once had a famous saying: "The Beautifulness of the West Lake is uncomparable，Whether she is richly adorned or plainly dressed.", which is used to describe the beautiful scenery of the West Lake in Hangzhou. Menopausal women's physical and mental health is a major wellbeing issue, which has been widely concerned. With the efforts of the whole society, they should live a more colorful and beautiful life, and a life of higher quality. Like the beauty Xi Shi mentioned in the poem, they are aging but still beautiful!

    Through the extraordinary year 2020, the health concern stemmed from the anti-epidemic journey makes the whole society pay more attention to the important role of health education and health management. Let's call for attention to the health of climacteric women, to the early-onset ovarian insufficiency, to the health of the whole population including the post-tumor population, and to act together, so that climacteric women can face the life with a more scientific and open mind. Take it easy and start a new journey!

    It is expected that this conference will contribute to promoting the development of menopause in the Asia Pacific region and safeguarding women's health.

    I wish this conference a complete success!

    Thank you.

Prof. Qi Yu

Deputy Director, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital

Director, Center for Endocrinology and Reproduction in Gynecology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital

President，Asia Pacific Menopause Federation (APMF)

Associate Editor，Climacteric, the official Journal of the International Menopause Society (IMS)

President, Chinese Menopause Society, Chinese Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chinese Medical Association