What to expect at The Menopause Society's 2026 Annual Meeting

Clinicians gathering in San Diego, California, for The Menopause Society's 2026 Annual Meeting will find a program built around the theme "Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice." The meeting runs October 20 through 24 at the Hilton Bayfront. In-person registration has sold out, and more than 2000 health care professionals are expected to attend.¹

The Society was founded in 1989. It is a nonprofit with a multidisciplinary membership spanning medicine, nursing, psychology, nutrition, pharmacy, epidemiology, and other fields, and it credentials clinicians as Menopause Society Certified Practitioners (MSCP).²

According to the meeting program, the meeting opens October 20 with the Menopause 101 and Bone Health 101 courses and a Menopause Research Workshop. On October 21, the opening symposium, "Cutting Through the Noise: The Evidence for Incorporating the Six Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine for Menopause," will cover exercise, dietary supplements, social connectedness, stress, sleep, and counseling on substance use in midlife women.

Weighing the cost of estrogen avoidance

Later on October 21, Society President Cheryl Cox Kinney, MD, FACOG, MSCP, will moderate Presidential Symposium 1, "The Toll of Estrogen Avoidance." Speakers will examine the cardiovascular and bone consequences of avoiding estrogen, the impact of early menopause on all-cause mortality, and whether to reconsider the estrogen option for breast cancer survivors. Howard N. Hodis, MD, will put stroke and breast cancer risk with estrogen in context alongside other therapies.

A second session, "30 Years of SWAN: Transforming What We Know About Menopause," will present findings from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation on daily hormone patterns, bone loss and body composition, and cardiovascular health.

Cancer survivorship, mood, and longevity claims

Programming on October 22 opens with a keynote conversation with Jill Biden, EdD, hosted by Society Medical Director Stephanie S. Faubion, MD, MBA. Plenary Symposium 2 will follow, taking a multidisciplinary approach to menopause care across the cancer continuum. Topics include gynecologic care of breast cancer survivors and shared decision-making in survivorship.

Plenary Symposium 3, "Menopause and Longevity Medicine: What We Know, What We Don't Know, and What We Shouldn't Promise," will review the evidence on hormone therapy and cognition from Pauline M. Maki, PhD. Chrisandra L. Shufelt, MD, MS, will cover hormone therapy and cardiovascular disease risk.

"Mind the Gap: Mood Disorders, Suicide Risk, and the Menopause Transition" will feature Claudio N. Soares, MD, PhD, on mood disorders and Mary Kimmel, MD, PhD, on recognizing suicide warning signs in midlife women. A midlife dermatology symposium on skin and hair changes will close the day's plenaries.

Nonhormonal pharmacology and practical guidance

On October 23, "Beyond Hormones: Emerging and Established Pharmacologies in Perimenopause and Menopause Management" will feature Genevieve Neal-Perry, MD, PhD, on KNDy neurons and targeted menopause therapies. JoAnn V. Pinkerton, MD, MSCP, will discuss the effects of neurokinin B antagonism on sleep, bone, and cognition.

Abstract sessions include pooled analyses of elinzanetant from the OASIS-1 and OASIS-2 trials, estetrol for moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms, and menopause hormone therapy alongside GLP-1–based therapies. Other October 23 plenaries cover lipid management and cardiovascular risk, as well as uterine evaluation, overactive bladder, and chronic pelvic pain.

The final day, October 24, opens with the Kleinman Endowed Lecture. Kaveeta P. Vasisht, MD, PharmD, will speak on the FDA's role in advancing therapeutics for midlife and menopausal women. Symposia on sexual health and sleep disorders will follow. The sexual health session includes how to apply updated International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health guidelines for hypoactive sexual desire disorder.³

Virtual registrants can watch recordings of the opening symposium and the 11 plenary symposia and special lectures within 24 to 48 hours; livestreaming is not offered. Meeting abstracts will be published in the December 2026 issue of Menopause.¹

References:

1. 2026 Annual Meeting. The Menopause Society. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://menopause.org/annual-meetings/2026-annual-meeting
2. About us. The Menopause Society. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://menopause.org/about-us
3. 2026 Annual Meeting program: bridging the gap between research and practice. The Menopause Society. Updated September 17, 2026. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://menopause.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2026-TMS-Annual-Meeting-Program-19.pdf