WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), 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 legislation, 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.

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. 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% of U.S. residency programs offer a formal menopause curriculum according to a recent survey, and 80% of OB-GYN residents admit to being ill-prepared to discuss menopause.

“Menopause is a fact of life for women and something we all deserve to know more about,” Senator Capito said. “Menopause can impact every aspect of a woman’s life – from their career to their relationships—and for too long, it has only been whispered about among our friends and health care providers. I’m proud to join my fellow female colleagues in introducing this bipartisan bill, which seeks to jump-start research, public health, and training programs to look at the realities women are facing every day.”

In the Senate, the legislation is also co-sponsored by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).

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, again, and public health promotion activities.

A one-pager on the Advancing Menopause and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act can be viewed HERE.

Full text of the legislation can be viewed HERE.

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