The Menopause Gap: How Women Feel Abandoned While Trans Healthcare Gets the Spotlight

Imagine going to your doctor, experiencing life-altering symptoms — intense hot flashes, insomnia, memory lapses, and severe mood swings — only to be told it’s just part of aging. Millions of women face this reality, struggling to get adequate care for menopause. Despite affecting nearly every woman, menopause remains an under-researched and underfunded area in medicine, leaving many women feeling abandoned and dismissed.

The frustration is even more pronounced when considering the strides made in transgender healthcare. Trans women have access to well-organized support networks, advocacy groups, and extensive funding for research and medical care. This comparison highlights a stark disparity in how healthcare systems address different aspects of hormonal health.

The medical community’s understanding of menopause is sorely lacking. According to a 2019 study published in The Journal of Women’s Health, only 6.8% of medical residency programs in the United States offer any formal menopause training. A survey conducted by the American Association of Medical Colleges found that over 70% of OB/GYN residents felt “barely competent” in managing menopause, while less than 20% felt confident addressing the full spectrum of menopause symptoms.

These gaps have dire consequences. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that untreated menopause symptoms, such as estrogen deficiency, can lead to serious health issues, including a 30% increased risk of osteoporosis and a 20% increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Despite these risks, research into menopause-related health concerns is underfunded, with the NIH allocating only a fraction of its budget to menopause research compared to conditions like diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

Many women report that doctors either dismiss their symptoms or provide superficial advice. A 2021 study in The Journal of General Internal Medicine found that nearly 60% of women felt their healthcare provider didn’t take their menopause symptoms seriously. The most common recommendations given? Lifestyle changes, like exercise and meditation, or antidepressants — suggestions that often fail to address the underlying hormonal imbalances women experience.

Dr. Jan Shifren, a menopause specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, highlights the disparity: “Menopause is a hormonal condition that impacts every system in the body, yet the lack of standardized training for healthcare providers leaves millions of women underserved.”

While menopause care remains stagnant, transgender healthcare has made remarkable advancements. The Human Rights Campaign and other prominent organizations have successfully lobbied for insurance coverage of gender-affirming treatments, including hormone therapy. The Endocrine Society has published comprehensive guidelines for transgender care, ensuring doctors have evidence-based protocols to follow.

In 2021, the NIH announced a $15 million research initiative focused on understanding the long-term effects of gender-affirming care. Meanwhile, funding for menopause research remains minimal. According to Dr. Louise Newson, a menopause specialist and founder of the Newson Health Menopause Society in the UK, “The amount of research funding menopause receives compared to other areas of women’s health is woefully inadequate.”

This disparity in resources and attention is not about pitting one community against another but rather highlighting a broader issue: the systematic neglect of women’s health concerns, particularly those related to aging. Menopause, which affects over 50 million women in the U.S. alone, simply doesn’t have the same lobbying power or financial backing.

Why is there such a lack of focus on menopause? Cultural and systemic factors play a significant role. Aging, especially in women, is often viewed as undesirable, and topics like menopause remain shrouded in societal stigma. The North American Menopause Society has reported that ageism and sexism contribute to the lack of research funding and public discourse.

The influence of financial and political interests in healthcare also cannot be ignored. Transgender healthcare has benefited from well-organized advocacy groups and significant donor support. For example, the Open Society Foundations, funded by George Soros, has invested millions in transgender rights and healthcare. In contrast, menopause advocacy lacks the same level of organization and financial muscle.

Moreover, media coverage and cultural narratives often fail to elevate menopause as a pressing health issue. According to Dr. Stephanie Faubion, director of the Mayo Clinic Women’s Health Center, “Menopause needs to be a part of the broader conversation about women’s health, but we are far from that reality.”

The solution is clear: we need to prioritize menopause in research, policy, and medical education. Currently, only 1% of NIH funding is dedicated to menopause research, a glaringly small amount considering the health implications. Advocacy groups, like the International Menopause Society, are pushing for legislative changes to mandate comprehensive menopause training for doctors, but progress is “slow”.

Public awareness campaigns are crucial. Just as breast cancer awareness has led to increased research and funding, menopause needs a similar movement to destigmatize it and bring it into the public eye. Legislative efforts, such as Senator Elizabeth Warren’s proposal to increase NIH funding for women’s health, should be expanded and supported.

Women deserve better healthcare at every stage of life. Addressing the menopause gap requires a multi-faceted approach: increased funding, better training for healthcare providers, and a cultural shift to make menopause a normal and important topic of discussion. While trans healthcare has made significant strides, with organized advocacy and substantial funding pushing for comprehensive care, menopause remains underfunded and poorly understood, affecting millions of women who are left to navigate this life stage with inadequate support.

We owe it to the millions of women who are suffering in silence to ensure that their health is taken as seriously and supported as comprehensively as any other significant healthcare issue. The stark contrast in healthcare priorities should be a call to action, not a reason for division, but a reminder of the work still needed to bring equity and dignity to all aspects of women’s health. Let’s work together to ensure women are heard, respected, and treated with the comprehensive care they deserve.