Improve Menopause Care, AARP Says

A new bill would strengthen research, awareness and treatment

Emily Paulin,

AARP

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En español

Published August 21, 2024

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The impact of menopause on women has long received less study and funding than other health issues, but new federal legislation seeks to call attention to the hot flashes, mood swings and other symptoms that many experience in midlife.

AARP endorsed a bipartisan bill promoting better understanding and treatment of menopause. The Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act would invest $275 million over five years in federal research, health care workforce training, education efforts and public health promotion to improve menopause care.

The legislation would establish a Center of Excellence to lead the campaign and require the Department of Health and Human Services to report to Congress on its findings and results.

In a letter, AARP praised the efforts of the six female senators who introduced the bill “to address the stigma and lack of information associated with menopause.”

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“Your legislation will help more women talk to their health providers about menopause and ensure that they don’t have to ‘power through’ their symptoms when support could have been available,” wrote Bill Sweeney, AARP’s senior vice president for government affairs.

Seeking recognition and relief

Some 75 million women in the U.S. are in perimenopause, menopause or postmenopause, yet 3 in 4 women who seek medical care for their symptoms are left untreated, according to the national nonprofit Let’s Talk Menopause. That’s perhaps because 4 out of 5 ob-gyn residents admit being ill-prepared to discuss this life stage with patients, Let’s Talk Menopause reported. A 2023 study published in Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society, found that less than a third of ob-gyns took a menopause curriculum as part of their training programs.

“There is a dearth of federally funded clinical trials on menopause and menopausal hormone therapy and very little menopause education for doctors,” wrote the cosponsors of the bill — Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) — in a statement.

That scarcity of attention and research leaves millions of women suffering. An AARP survey published in January found that roughly 90 percent of women 35-plus experience menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, sweating, sleep issues and brain fog.

Menopause also costs the country economically. The same AARP survey found that 1 in 3 women reported missing 11 days or more of work due to menopause symptoms. A Mayo Clinic study published in 2023 put the cost of these symptoms to U.S. employers at $1.8 billion annually.

Menopause conversations are hard

Despite the widespread impact of menopause, talking about it remains taboo in many workplaces. Fifty-six percent of the women surveyed by AARP said the topic is stigmatized and not discussed in the workplace. Roughly 40 percent of employers agreed. Sixty-four percent of the workers and 72 percent of employers surveyed said U.S. policymakers should address the issue by ensuring all women can access high-quality, personalized care and treatments.

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The cosponsors of the bill say they’re answering the call.

“For too long, menopause is something women have had to suffer through silently,” Murray said during a May news conference. “This bill will help empower the federal government, the public and health care providers to better understand women’s midlife health issues and improve every woman’s experience of menopause — this really matters.”

For advice on how to navigate menopause, keep up to date with AARP’s health coverage.

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Emily Paulin is an editor at aarp.org who covers nursing homes, health care, and federal and state policy. Her work has also appeared in Broadsheet, an Australian lifestyle publication.