Menopause is having its overdue moment

Congress recently convened a first-ever hearing on menopause. That it took this long for lawmakers to address this important issue mirrors how we as a nation have failed to publicly confront, thoughtfully study and allocate meaningful federal funding to address this predictable stage of women’s health.   

Last month, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) invited physicians and experts to testify before Congress on the current state of menopause training, research and care. Their collective assessment was discouraging — physician shortages, inadequate access to care, insurance challenges and a lack of medical education were cited among many reasons why there’s been little progress. 

The senators also asked the Government Accountability Office to examine how the federal government has funded menopause research to identify gaps in training, treatment and oversight. 

Menopause is the normal part of a woman’s aging process that marks the end of her reproductive years. A major hormonal shift takes place, often triggering hot flashes, night sweats, sleep interruption, emotional swings, urinary changes, concentration loss, weight gain and headaches. These symptoms, if left untreated, can be enormously challenging for women and their families. 

Menopause is a biological reality that roughly half of the U.S. population will experience. These women will spend as much as one-third of their lives in perimenopause and menopause. Yet, for generations, it has occupied a taboo place in our culture.  

Because it’s a topic no one wants to talk about.  

The problem begins, in part, with medical training and........

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