Nation around the world must begin educating women about menopause
– WOULF UTAIN
Nation around the world must begin educating women about menopause
– WOULF UTAIN
SAFOMS stands for South Asian Federations of Menopause Societies. It includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Srilankan menopause societies. The society is working together to improve the standard of care of women of peri and post menopause. It deals with the different health issues and the chronic health problems faced by the South Asian women after menopause.
SAFOMS was the brainchild of the great man Behram Anklesaria. He founded this Federation with great enthusiasm and vigor. SAFOMS was started in Srilanka in Oct 2010 in Colombo. All South Asian countries have many things common like genetics, nutrition, economics and sociocultural factors. So aim was to have a common platform from where we could look into the needs of our women of menopause and take actions accordingly. With increase in the number of menopausal women all over the world, the management of menopause has become very important and special. It organizes biennial regional conferences 1st was in Colombo in 2010, 2nd one was in Pakistan in 2012, 3rd one was in Bangladesh in 2014 4th one was in India in 2017 Feb and 5th one was held in Bangladesh in 2019. Besides different symposiums and different workshops are organized by SAFOMS. It owns the journal named –SAFOMS journal.
SAFOMS brings all together and shares knowledge, information, ideas and experiences about all aspects of aging in women. SAFOMS is affiliated with IMS (International Menopause Society). The Website of SAFOMS is www.safoms.com. We shall try to update all the latest information about health issues of menopause women.
Wishing you a happy and prosperous new year.
President, SAFOMS
Dear esteemed colleagues of SAFOMS.
Greetings.
It gives me great pleasure as the current President of SAFOMS to welcome you to the updated website of SAFOMS. The SAFOMS was founded on 1st October 2010 in Colombo, Srilanka by visionary Champions of Menopausal health from South Asia, spearheaded by Dr Behram Anklesaria to cater to the changing needs of women health in post reproductive age in the region. Over the past decade, under the rotating Leadership between constituent countries of South Asia, Prof Shehla Khatoon from Bangladesh, Prof Rubina Hussain from Pakistan, Prof Jaideep Malhotra from India and Dr Rohana Hathathowa from Sri Lanka have worked tirelessly for collaboration of the menopause societies.
Biennial SAFOMS Conferences held by the countries and Publication of JSAFOMS, the flagship Journal has been a prominent feature. With Pakistan taking over the president role, a well-attended, international SAFOMS Biennial event was organized on 18th -19th November 2023, in Islamabad, Pakistan followed by election of the new council. This was preceded by numerous preconference workshops held nationally in various cities of Pakistan. The World menopause Day was celebrated with great zeal in October 2023 in the region, highlighting the theme of cardiovascular disease in Menopause.
The year 2022 and 2023 highlight were the monthly international webinars on menopausal health organized by Dr Maninder Ahuja for the SAFOMS with active participation of all countries. This has continued in the current year organized by the secretary general Shiekh Zenat Nasreen and Dr Saima Zubair with a great spirit and vigor. Another planned academic endeavor is to roll out a certificate course on menopausal health by the SAFOMS in the year 2024.
We are looking forward to holding the 1st SAFOMS session at the 19th IMS World congress of Menopause at Melbourne Australia in October 2024 and meet up with you at the IMS World Congress 2024.
Chairperson, SAFOMS
Dear esteemed colleagues of SAFOMS.
Greetings.
It is my immense pleasure to be selected once again as the Chairperson of the SAFOMS Website Committee. Firstly, I sincerely apologize for the undue delay in reactivating the SAFOMS website due to unavoidable circumstances. However, we have now overcome these challenges and are ready to resume our work.
“Menopause is a new beginning” is a phrase resonating across the globe. While the age of menopause has not changed, the longevity of women’s lives has increased. One in every two women will experience approximately 30 years of post-menopausal life. Therefore, it is crucial that this significant population leads a healthy life; otherwise, it could become a burden on families, nations, and society as a whole.
As you know, the International SAFOMS Biennial event was held in Pakistan last November. Prof. Sheikh Zinnat Ara Nasreen attended as faculty from Bangladesh, and a new SAFOMS committee was formed at that time.
The Bangladesh Menopause Society (BMS) continues to be a vibrant organization. BMS successfully celebrated World Menopause Day in October 2023 and regularly organizes seminars and webinars, both independently and in collaboration with OGSB.
As members of the SAFOMS family, we are committed to working together to improve menopausal health in this subcontinent.
SAFOMS stands for South Asian Federations of Menopause Societies.