We Need Better Menopause Care

Every year, around 2 million people in the United States reach menopause. This article from Ms. Magazine highlights the need for better menopause care within the health care system.

While more people are talking about menopause, the discussion is primarily driven by influencers and celebrities. We need more access to knowledgeable medical providers.

It can be especially difficult to find providers that offer menopause care for marginalized women, including low-income women who have Medicaid and Black and brown women. However, this care is even more necessary for them as Black and brown women experience menopause symptoms earlier and are less likely to receive quality treatment for those symptoms. Black and brown women also make up about 50 percent of the Medicaid population.

How can we address this? The article calls for the following reforms:

• Increase the number of medical providers who are trained in menopause.
• Incentive medical providers training in menopause to provide care for Medicaid patients.
• Increase access to menopause care by providing telehealth services.
• Increase community-based programming that educates women around menopause and empowers them to advocate for their health.

Menopause care is a necessity, not a nice-to-have. Yet the prevailing narrative too often presents it as a privilege, accessible only to those who can afford it. This must change. To address this dissonance, we need widespread reform.

SOURCE: Ms Magazine • AUTHOR: Nora Lansen and Jannine Versi • LAST UPDATED: October 17, 2024