Rossella Nappi: taking the stigma out of menopause

A few years ago, Rossella Nappi was scheduled to speak at a conference for obstetricians and gynaecologists. “A lot of people were waiting and I was in a rush, as usual”, recalled Nappi, who is professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Pavia (Pavia, Lombardy, Italy) and chief of reproductive medicine at the IRCCS San Matteo Foundation in the same city. The day of the conference was hot and Nappi had come from outside. Inside, everything was air-conditioned. She got onto the podium and said “could you please wait a second? I have to drink a glass of water—I am having a hot flush.” Nappi felt a shift in the mood of the room; her words had unsettled the audience. “Everyone was shocked that I had admitted this thing, to being in the menopause. These were OB-GYNs and yet they were shocked”, Nappi told The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.