“There is no name for it in my community,” says Nalaketi Leposa, 50. “When my periods suddenly stopped flowing, I wondered whether I was relevant anymore.” 

Nalaketi, from Narok County, recalls the confusion that came with the end of her monthly periods. She had no prior warning, no information, and no one to guide her through the changes her body was experiencing. Unlike her younger self, when she was regarded as a woman of value because she was fertile, productive, and desirable, she now felt invisible. “I started having hot flushes, headaches, backaches, I could not sleep, and sometimes I felt sad for no reason,” she says. “I asked older women, and they suggested herbal medicines, which I still take to date.” 

One might imagine that such stories belong only to rural women, far removed from modern healthcare. Yet Karimi Gatimi, 50, who lives and works in Nairobi, shares a strikingly similar experience. “I am exposed to an avalanche of information,” she says, “but save for the mention of perimenopausal symptoms, there isn’t much that our health systems help us with. Not even the treatment.” 

For women like Karimi and Nalaketi, the transition through perimenopause and menopause can be physically and emotionally taxing. Hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, mood swings, fatigue, insomnia, weight changes, loss of libido, and memory lapses are only some of the symptoms they endure, often in silence. These are not just biological inconveniences; they are health, emotional, and quality-of-life issues that deserve attention. 

But where does that attention come from? 

For many years, our collective focus, along with our partners, has rightly been on protecting women’s reproductive rights and improving maternal and newborn health. This is for a good reason, and we are not backing down. In today’s world, it is still completely unacceptable that women and newborns continue to die from preventable causes. These lives could be saved through better policies, fair access, and respectful care. 

Our advocacy efforts have not been in vain. We have witnessed County Governments institutionalise Gender and Economic Policies, midwives embrace the Respectful Maternity Charter (RMC), and health workers champion dignity in maternal care. These milestones remind us that change is possible when communities, governments, and advocates move in unison.