TWELVE women from various fields of discipline were chosen as models for excellence and service to society while overcoming menopausal changes.

Giving them the recognition was the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (Pogs) of Cebu Province.

The women will be presented to the public during the celebration of World Menopause Day in Cebu City on Oct. 19.

Dr. Virginia Abalos, Pogs regional representative, said menopause is “not the end of the road” despite the many diseases related to it, such as cancer.

The models are Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung, Amparito Lhuillier, Anabelle Aboitiz, Dr. Mila Chan, Teresing Mendezona, Dr. Mila Tolentino, Nelia Neri, Mary Anne Alcordo-Solomon, Tessie Javier, Delia Villacastin, Janice Minor and Lita Urbina.

Medicine

Abalos said the models come from different fields, such as philanthropy, medicine and architecture.

She said that before, menopause was treated as if it were the end of a woman’s life. Today, people live up to 80, she said.

This year, World Menopause Day is celebrated on Oct. 18. The International Menopause Society will launch a campaign on cancer awareness with the theme “Oncology in midlife and beyond.”

Changes

“(Menopause is) a period in the life of a woman when she feels (there are) so many changes in her body,” said Dr. Marivic Tan, Pogs Cebu public relations officer.

She said the objective of the Menopause Day Celebration is to make women more sensitive to what they are feeling.

The average menopausal age for Filipino women is between 48 and 51. However, even a 16-year-old girl can have premature menopause because of the failure of her ovaries to function.

Doctors

The doctors who held a press conference last Saturday afternoon recommended that women have a healthy lifestyle, choose a monogamous relationship, undergo screening tests like Pap smear and acetic acid test for early detection of cervical cancer.