In the United States, 75 million women are in perimenopause, menopause, or post-menopause right now — with 6,000 more women reaching menopause each day. 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. 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.

U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Susan Collins (R-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced historic, comprehensive new bipartisan legislation that would boost federal research on menopause and, for the first time, would coordinate the federal government’s existing programs related to menopause and midlife women’s health. The bipartisan Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act (S. 4246), authorized for $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 midlife women’s health issues. 

“For too long, menopause is something women have had to suffer through silently—like so many women’s health issues, menopause has been overlooked, underinvested in, and left behind. Menopause is a key part of women’s health that deserves serious attention and investment,” said Senator Murray. “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. I’m so glad to have Senator Murkowski and Halle Berry (actor) leading this effort with me, and I look forward to getting our bipartisan legislation across the finish line.”

“There is a real need for additional research and better education regarding the health challenges and symptoms associated with menopause,” said Senator Collins. “This bipartisan bill would help close this gap and support midlife health for women across our country.”

The Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act (S. 4246) would expand federal research on menopause and midlife women’s health, support public health promotion activities to address chronic conditions affecting midlife women’s health, establish a national public health awareness, education, and outreach program on menopause, improve professional training resources for health care providers, and direct the designation of Centers of Excellence in Menopause and Mid-Life Women’s Health.

Please use our pre-drafted letters to urge your senators to co-sponsor and support the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act. If they have already sponsored or co-sponsored the bill, you can send a message of thanks.