PPMMS is a group of female physicians in our 40’s and 50’s and who are, as happens to us all to one form or another, going through “the Change”. That phrase may be quite cringing to those of us old enough to have heard it spoken in a negative context, in our youth. But thankfully, a lot of hard work is being done in Medicine and in Society right now to demystify and educate us on the female transitions of Perimenopause and Menopause. But as often happens with physican and surgeons, we may be a bit behind in getting up to speed. There are so many and important ways that our physical and mental transition processes affect our careers. But we may not be fully equipped at this juncture to pivot with grace. How would you answer this question: do you feel completely comfortable and safe talking about your perimenopause or menopause journey in the clinical setting or at a medical or surgical conference? What about when you are with your patients, as a means of empathy or shared learning, or even if it’s in conversations about life that often occur over the OR table and in the lunch room? Many physician women are silent about this stage of their lives. We are afraid to look weak, to have our judgement second-guessed, to be labeled as “hormonal” and have our high-value opinions dismissed. Our founder, Dr. Mandy Rice, a Trauma-Surgical Critical Care fellowship-trained General Surgeon was tired of feeling fear and shame whenever she felt like asking questions, seeking camaraderie, or sharing in the conversations that were being had by nurses and surgical techs that she works alongside. She found a paucity of physician-centered support for the hundreds of thousands of women physicians that are practicing in the United States alone. Dr. Rice felt called to help be a part of the solution to destigmatize this stage of our lives. We now know that the number of women physicians across the globe is increasing at very high rates. Statistics from the AAMC from 2022 showed that the number of women physicians increased by 97% between 2002 and 2022. And studies are showing that women potentially lose significant time at work due to menopausal symptoms, which can lead to a significant Impact on work and careers. This means there is a very large and ever-increasing number of doctors in our country alone are going to need our sisterhood-support, education, and guidance as we all enter and successfully pass through the journey with menopause. Our goal is that all women doctors are like the every-woman doctor in our logo, who seems solid and even sassy in her ability to handle this transition. Come join us as we build a community of educated, strong, and healthy women physicians who are confident in continuing their practices with the help and support they need to successfully navigate “The Change”!
