They included an Endocrinologist, a Cardiologist, a Urologist, an Oncologist, an Orthopaedic Surgeon and a Psychiatrist. One third were Gynecologists and among the rest, there were housewives and social workers.

In the early years, several awareness activities were held, both for the public and for doctors. At this time, the concept of dealing with menopause, was at its infancy in the country. There were several myths and it was decided that we must clear them.

Public awareness programmes in Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati and English were held in various parts of the city and were attended by between 200 and 700 women. Short lectures on the facts and myths of menopause were given by different specialists and the major part of the programme was devoted to answering questions from the house.

Street plays and awareness walks were conducted and were well received. Articles were published in the local papers.

CME’s were held for General Practitioners as well as focused discussions with doctors from different disciplines.

The Pune chapter was given the onerous task of conducting the National Conference of the Indian Menopause Society in February 2003. It was attended by about 400 delegates, a record number at that time. Professor John Studd, considered the Father of Menopausal Medicine was the guest speaker. The chapter received many accolades from delegates and faculty alike for a well conducted conference with excellent scientific deliberations. A video conference with faculty joining from the UK and the US was a highlight of the conference, as it was the first of its kind in a Pune conference.

The Chapter has grown from strength to strength and now has 103 members. Members from the Pune chapter have been on the National Executive, have got first and second ranks in the Credentialed IMS Menopause Practitioner ( CIMP) Exam, have published articles in the Society journal, the Journal of Midlife health, have presented papers and posters at National and International conferences and have also represented the Society at the International level.