Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, alongside 16 other women senators, introduced historic, comprehensive new bipartisan legislation that would be the most expansive effort so far to boost federal research on menopause and would—for the first time—coordinate the federal government’s existing programs related to menopause and mid-life women’s health. The Advancing Menopause and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act, authorized at $275 million over five years, would strengthen and expand federal research on menopause, health care workforce training, awareness and education efforts, and public health promotion and prevention to better address menopause and mid-life women’s health issues. The legislation is being championed by Halle Berry, who has done extensive advocacy around menopause, speaking out and sharing her story to challenge the stigma around menopause.
75 million women are in perimenopause, menopause, or post-menopause right now in the U.S.—with 6,000 more women reaching menopause each day. But despite the fact that half the population in the U.S. will eventually experience menopause, menopause research has long been underinvested in and overlooked. To date, there are few federally funded clinical trials on menopause and menopausal hormone therapy and very little menopause education for doctors—only 30 percent of U.S. OB-GYN residency programs offer a formal menopause curriculum according to a recent survey, and 80 percent of OB-GYN residents admit to being ill-prepared to discuss menopause.
“It’s unfathomable that menopause – a condition that more than half the population will eventually experience – has been stigmatized, overlooked, and understudied,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I’m proud to be introducing this legislation to give menopause research the funding and attention it deserves and help keep women healthy throughout their lives.”
“By advocating for my own health and wellbeing during menopause, I am not only standing up for myself but for all women,” said Halle Berry. “Because, if we are fortunate enough to live this long, we will all experience this phase of life. Today is a call to action for each and every one of us to stand together and demand the care and attention that we so vitally deserve.”
The Advancing Menopause and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act would:
- Expand federal research on menopause and mid-life women’s health:
- Authorize $25 million per year over five fiscal years for NIH to award grants to support biomedical, public health, clinical, and translational research and innovation related to menopause and mid-life women’s health.
- Establish new Research, Condition, and Disease Categorization (RCDC) categories for chronic or debilitating conditions among women related to menopause and mid-life women’s health.
- Strengthen coordination within the NIH and across HHS to expand federal research into menopause and mid-life women’s health and prevent adverse health outcomes among women experiencing menopause and postmenopausal syndrome.
- Support translational research activities to speed the translation of federal research to support health care delivery of perimenopause and menopause care and related women’s health services.
- Require HHS to expand public health research, health care quality research, data collection and reporting, and occupational health research related to menopause and mid-life women’s health.
- Support public health promotion activities to address chronic conditions affecting mid-life women’s health; strengthen early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of menopausal symptoms; improve health care delivery; and support the development of recommendations and best practices to expand access to mental and behavioral health care services for women experiencing perimenopause or menopausal symptoms. Authorized at $10 million per year over five fiscal years.
- Establish a national public health awareness, education, and outreach program on menopause and mid-life women’s health. Authorized at $10 million per year over five fiscal years.
- Improve professional training resources for health care providers on menopause and mid-life women’s health through a new grant program. Authorized at $10 million per year over five fiscal years.
- Direct the designation of Centers of Excellence in Menopause and Mid-Life Women’s Health, and authorize grants to support the improvement of professional training resources for health care providers on menopause and mid-life women’s health.
- Require HHS to report to Congress on federal research activities related to menopause and mid-life women’s health, related barriers to care for patients in rural and underserved areas, barriers to training for health care providers, and recommendations to expand access to care and increase public awareness.
- Support coordination between HHS and other federal departments and agencies—including the VA and DoD—related to menopausal symptoms, mid-life women’s health, and public health promotion activities.
In the Senate, the legislation is also co-sponsored by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Susan Collins (R-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ).
The full text of the legislation is HERE.