About The North American Menopause Society

Founded in 1989, The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) is North America's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the health and quality of life of women through an understanding of menopause. Its multidisciplinary membership of 2,000 leaders in the field – including clinical and basic science experts from medicine, nursing, sociology, psychology, nutrition, anthropology, epidemiology, pharmacy, and education – allows NAMS to be uniquely qualified to provide information that is both accurate and unbiased, not for or against any point of view.

We are pleased to be recognized as the preeminent resource on all aspects of menopause to both healthcare providers and the public. NAMS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

This Web site is totally funded by The North American Menopause Society. No commercial advertisements are accepted.

Major Milestones in NAMS History

1989 – NAMS was founded. The Society has grown to include more than 2,000 members in 50 countries, and is responsible for major scientific meetings, peer-reviewed medical publications, and multiple professional and consumer education activities reaching millions of healthcare providers around the world.

1994 – The NAMS official peer-reviewed journal Menopause premiered, providing scientific information to the NAMS membership, the healthcare profession, and society in general. Menopause is now ranked among the top Ob/Gyn journals listed in the ISI Journal Citation Index, a measure of article quality.

1996 – The Society’s content-rich, award-winning Web site was launched, now serving more than 100,000 visitors 
per month.

2000 – The Society set the standards for practice when it developed an opportunity for licensed healthcare providers from multiple disciplines to demonstrate their expertise by passing a competency exam and becoming credentialed as a NAMS Menopause Practitioner. Currently, over 500 healthcare providers throughout the world hold this prestigious credential.

2003 – Menopause Flashes, a complimentary monthly e-newsletter reaching more than 27,000 consumers each month, premiered, offering fun-to-read original articles with timely updates on the latest information about menopause.

2006 – Two primary consumer print resources, the Menopause Guidebook and the Early Menopause Guidebook, were updated and republished as 6th editions. These guidebooks have become the gold standard among healthcare providers for educating women through the menopause transition.

2007 – The 3rd edition of the NAMS textbook, Menopause Practice: A Clinician’s Guide, was published, serving as the definitive menopause resource for healthcare providers.

2008 – NAMS released its updated Position Statement on the role of hormone therapy, providing needed guidelines on an important component of menopause management. The statement was endorsed by many respected medical organizations, such as The Endocrine Society and the Society for Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, and was reported on by leading media, including The New York Times, Newsweek, and MORE Magazine.

2009 – NAMS celebrates its 20th Anniversary, holds major tribute events in San Diego and Cleveland in honor of Executive Director Wulf H. Utian,  MD, PhD, DSc(Med) on his retirement from the Society at year’s end. Margery L.S. Gass, MD, NCMP, is selected as the NAMS Executive Director Designate.