Thriving Through the Change: Why Menopause, Chronic Disease and Black Women’s Health Belong in the Same Conversation

For millions of women, midlife brings changes with effects far and wide. Perimenopause and menopause can intersect with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, bone health and other chronic conditions, all marking an important opportunity to talk about prevention, treatment and what women need to maintain their health and quality of life.

Those conversations are especially important for those who face both a disproportionate burden of chronic disease and barriers to accessing high-quality, culturally responsive care.

Over the past several years, the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) has been proud to partner with California State Senator Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson for discussions that address the intersection of a variety of health issues and chronic conditions, particularly those impacting black women. This year “Thriving Through the Change: Menopause, Chronic Disease Risk, and Black Women’s Health,” is a free luncheon seminar at the Southeastern Live Well Center in San Diego that will take place on Monday, September 21. This event will explore the unique experiences of Black women during perimenopause and menopause, including how health care access barriers and social determinants of health affect women during midlife, how chronic diseases can make menopause more challenging, and the importance of culturally relevant health information.

Midlife is a critical window for chronic disease prevention and management

Menopause is a natural transition, but it occurs at a time when women’s risks for several chronic conditions can change.

HealthyWomen notes that declining estrogen during perimenopause is associated with changes affecting cardiovascular health, while metabolic syndrome, which includes risk factors such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar and abnormal cholesterol, is more common after menopause. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death among women in the United States, and Black women face particularly high cardiovascular risk.

The disparities extend beyond heart disease. Black women are 90 percent more likely to have diabetes than white women, illustrating why menopause cannot be considered in isolation from the broader chronic disease landscape.

Menopause symptoms themselves can also affect everyday health and well-being. As many as 8 in 10 women in midlife experience vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats, yet only about 1 in 4 receives treatment. Women of color are more likely to report these symptoms and may experience them for longer periods than white women. Sleep disruption associated with these symptoms can diminish quality of life and is linked with conditions including hypertension, diabetes and obesity.

Access is part of the health equation

Knowing what is happening in your body is important. Being able to do something about it is just as important.

Preventing and managing chronic disease requires a health care system that allows women to receive regular primary and preventive care, appropriate screenings and diagnoses, specialty care when necessary, and access to treatments that they and their health care providers determine are appropriate.

The Alliance for Women’s Health and Prevention has made that connection central to its work, emphasizing that early and equitable access to screening, diagnosis and preventive interventions can improve women’s health and longevity. Its 2026 policy agenda specifically calls for broad access to routine primary care, culturally competent care, meaningful access to specialty care and new approaches, including telehealth and collaborative care teams, that can improve access in medically underserved communities.

For Black women, ensuring that care is both accessible and responsive to their experiences is particularly consequential. The American Heart Association has identified the menopause transition as an important period for cardiovascular health and has highlighted persistent racial disparities in cardiovascular disease among Black women.

The goal should not simply be to treat illness once it has progressed. It should be to give women the information, care and treatment options they need to recognize risks earlier, manage existing conditions effectively and make informed decisions with their health care providers.

Bringing the conversation into the community

“Thriving Through the Change” is designed to help create exactly that kind of dialogue.

By bringing together community members, health leaders and policymakers, PFCD and Senator Weber Pierson are creating a space to talk openly about menopause within the broader context of chronic disease, and to make sure the experiences of Black women are part of the discussion.