Hundreds of physicians, psychologists, and mental health professionals attended a conference on the mental health aspects of menopause at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center. The conference was organized by the medical center's Department of Mental Health and led by the Li-Bi team, which provides specialized psychological care for women throughout their reproductive years within the Adult Mental Health Clinic.
In recent years, there has been growing recognition that menopause, once a topic that received very little research or clinical attention, is a stage of life with a profound impact on women's health and well-being. As a result, it is beginning to occupy a more prominent place in medical and therapeutic discourse, not only among patients but also among healthcare professionals.
Throughout the conference, speakers presented a broad, integrative approach that reflects the latest advances in both medicine and mental health. Rather than relying solely on medication, the approach embraces a holistic view of women during menopause, recognizing the full range of biological, emotional, relationship, family, and social factors that shape their experience.
Mental Health Aspects of Menopause: Professional Conference at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center
The conference featured some of Israel's leading experts in the field, including Dr. Noa Hovav, Director of Menopause Clinics and Co-Coordinator of the Menopausal Medicine course at Tel Aviv University; Prof. Miki Bloch, a psychiatrist specializing in women's mental health, founder of the Women's Mental Health Center at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), and Deputy Director of Ramat Chen Mental Health Center; Dr. Gideon Kupernik, Chair of the Israeli Society for Women's Health in Midlife and Co-Coordinator of the Menopausal Medicine course; Karin Kedar, a practitioner of women's Chinese medicine, a member of the executive board of the Briah Foundation, and co-author of the book We Don't Have Enough Estrogen for This Nonsense; and Dr. Romi Engel, a medical psychologist and founder and director of the Womena Center for Women's Health, among others.
During the conference, welcome remarks were delivered by Dr. Efrat City Elifaz, Deputy Director General of Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, and Dr. Idan Amshalom, Mental Health Services Director. Both spoke about the importance of expanding healthcare professionals' knowledge and understanding of menopause and expressed their enthusiasm for the conference and its wide-ranging program.
The conference was moderated by Inbar Frid-Tzaig, a clinical psychologist and head of the Li-Bi team at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center. Drawing on both her professional and personal experience, she spoke about the challenges of understanding, and, above all, accepting the need for treatment during menopause, both among women experiencing it and among healthcare professionals.
The conference concluded with remarks by Revital Ben Moha, Director of Psychological Services at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, and Dr. Ella Lande, Director of the Adult Mental Health Clinic. They emphasized that the conference's central message is that menopause is not merely a period of physical symptoms, but a significant life transition that requires attentive care, professional expertise, and individualized treatment. For many women, they said, it can transform what is often a quiet and isolating experience into an opportunity for renewed self-understanding, greater confidence in their own abilities, and the beginning of a healthier, more fulfilling new chapter in life.
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