Menopause Just Went Mainstream
Summary
The U.S. Senate held its first hearing on menopause to discuss research gaps and how doctors are trained to treat it. Senators from both parties proposed a bill to increase federal funding and improve care and education on menopause.Key Facts
- The Senate Special Committee on Aging held the first-ever congressional hearing on menopause on September 16.
- The hearing was called "Half the Country, Zero Hearings" to highlight a lack of government focus on menopause.
- Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (Democrat) and Rick Scott (Republican) asked the Government Accountability Office to review menopause research funding.
- Sens. Patty Murray (Democrat) and Lisa Murkowski (Republican) reintroduced a bill to provide $275 million over five years for menopause and midlife women's health.
- The bill would give $25 million annually for menopause research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), plus funds for doctor training and public education.
- NIH spent $78 million on menopause research in 2025, much less than for prostate cancer research ($314 million) or broader men’s health research ($768 million).
- Experts say menopause education for doctors is still insufficient, affecting patient care.
- The federal government is starting to address medical and research gaps that women have experienced around menopause for generations.
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