Menopause Isn’t Rare, so why is care still so hard to find?

Menopause is not a niche, or rare health issue. It is a universal stage of life that approximately half of the population will experience, often for a decade or more. Even still, for millions of people, menopause care remains dismissive, interrupted, or entirely absent. 

Despite the prevalence of menopause, most physicians receive little to no formal training on how to diagnose or treat it. Studies show that many medical schools dedicate only a few hours - if any - to menopause education, leaving clinicians underprepared to address the symptoms that can profoundly impact a woman’s quality of life (Kling et al., 2019; Kingsberg et al., 2019). Patients are often told their symptoms are “just stress,” “normal aging,” or simply something they have to deal with. 

The reality is, menopause can cause sleep disruption, depression, anxiety, cognitive changes and brain fog, sexual pain, changes in cardiovascular health, bone density loss, and metabolic changes. For many, these symptoms impact their ability to work, maintain relationships, and participate fully in their daily lives (Santoro et al., 2015). 

Surveys consistently show that patients struggle to find providers who feel confident treating menopause-related health concerns, and many report seeing multiple clinicians before receiving accurate information or appropriate care, if they even receive it at all (The North America Menopause Society, 2022).

The difficulty finding providers is not because effective treatments do not exist. Hormone therapy, non-hormonal medications, pelvic floor therapy, and lifestyle interventions can dramatically improve symptoms. But, when clinicians are not trained in menopause care, patients lose access to care before they ever step into an exam room. 

Medical education has historically centered reproductive health around fertility, pregnancy, and contraception, while largely ignoring the decades that follow reproductive age. Menopause is considered too complex for quick visits, too much of a “woman’s” issue to have been prioritized, and too underfunded to sustain progress in research (Faubion et al., 2015).

This disparity is reinforced by insurance companies. Menopause care is time-intensive, yet reimbursement structures for providers favor brief, procedure-based care. Many providers do not have the institutional support to offer comprehensive menopause care, even if they want to (Kingsberg et al., 2019).  

In recent years, though, something has begun to shift. 

Patients are speaking openly about their experiences. Medical researchers are calling attention to the long-term health impacts of untreated menopause symptoms. Policymakers are recognizing menopause as a public health issue that impacts our workforce. Several states have introduced legislation aimed at expanding menopause education for providers and improving insurance coverage for treatment. Professional organizations are issuing updated clinical guidelines (The North American Menopause Society, 2022). 

Our progress depends on continued investment in research, education, and advocacy. At SHE+, we focus on the systems that shape the patient experience. That means funding research that closes gaps, supporting educational initiatives that get providers the tools they need, and advocating for change that treat women’s health as a cornerstone of public health. 

Menopause does not have to be a period defined by confusion, dismissal, or unnecessary suffering. The science exists. The need is undeniable. What remains is the will to build systems that reflect both. This is the work SHE+ is committed to, because health equity doesn’t end when fertility does.

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Faubion, S. S., et al. (2015). Management of menopausal symptoms. Mayo Clinic Proceedings.Kingsberg, S. A., et al. (2019). Female sexual health: Barriers to optimal outcomes. Journal of Women’s Health.Kling, J. M., et al. (2019). Menopause management knowledge in medical training. Menopause.Santoro, N., et al. (2015). Symptoms of the menopausal transition. Endocrine Reviews.The North American Menopause Society. (2022). Position statement on hormone therapy and menopause care.