Experts at first congressional hearing on menopause say more research, better treatment is needed

WASHINGTON — New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Wednesday led the first-ever congressional hearing on menopause, saying that stage in a woman's life is marked by a  "care gap" that is an "underresearched, undertreated and underdiscussed." 

"Women make up half of the American population and eight to 10 million Americans experience menopausal symptoms each year," Gillibrand said in opening the session. "Women should not suffer in silence."

The hearing of the Senate Committee on Aging featured gynecologists and healthcare experts, each of whom testified about the need for greater investment in research on menopause, as well as greater public education and access to care.

They said the focus on women's health was undeniably overdue. But the hearing also happened to occur amid the stretch run of the midterm elections. Along with being the top Democrat on the aging panel, Gillibrand, of Albany, is a top election strategist for her party as chairman of the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm.

Gillibrand and the panel’s Republican chairman, Sen. Rick Scott, of Florida, said they are making a bipartisan request for the Government Accountability Office to prepare a report on the gaps in menopause research and treatment.

"You can’t fix what you refuse to even measure," Gillibrand said.

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, executive director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at NYU Law, said, "Less than 1% of federal research funding goes to menopause and mid-life women’s health."

There are estimates that more than one million American women enter menopause each year.

Approximately 64 million women are age 50 or over in the United States, testified Jean Wactawski-Wende, a professor at the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions. "And that number is expected to exceed 80 million by 2050."

"Sorely needed," Weiss-Wolf said, are modern clinical trials that include millennial women and Gen X women, with diverse racial, ethnic and geographical representation.

Menopause can lead to symptoms like sleep problems, hot flashes and mood swings. Lower estrogen levels can also lead to heart and urinary track problems and bone loss.

And there are economic costs, too, with many women in the prime of their careers impacted by a lack of treatment, experts said. The Mayo Clinic puts the price of menopause in the United States at $26.6 billion per year, $1.8 billion attributed to lost work time alone.

The witnesses also discussed how current and future doctors are not receiving adequate, updated education about menopause, and also made the point that menopause prescriptions are too costly. For instance, a monthly supply of systemic hormone replacement therapy will run over $100, according to the testimony.

There are three now bills pending in Congress to expand menopause research.

"Menopause is a turning point and therefore a great window of opportunity for a woman because this phase shapes disease risk and health for the rest of her life," Suzanne Silverman Fenske, a gynecologist and founder of TaraMD, in New York, said.

Added Weiss-Wolf: "We deserve gold standard clinical trials."