After an already bad start (the flawed WHI study, the drop in HRT use after the publication of its results, the absence of studies centered on the right age group of women) we are confronted with other obstacles in the proper management of menopause, one of them being the lack of knowledge/education among health care professionals.

When finding out where I am at in my life (perimenopause), and again, with the help of my amazing family doctor, I started discussing my symptoms and problems with my friends. And I was shocked to see how frustrated they were by the lack of guidance from their doctors. They felt uninformed, unsupported, misunderstood and that to me is not ok when this stage in a woman’s life can be debilitating!

An article published in Maturitas in December 2022 highlights the knowledge gaps among health professionals, and that “a fresh pedagogical approach to teaching about menopause across healthcare curricula is needed” (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378512222001803).  The Menopause Society had a statement on  August 9, 2023 discussing a survey that “confirms need for more menopause education in residency programs” (https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/press-release/lack-of-menopause-education-for-residents.pdf).  A study conducted in 2017 investigating  “the knowledge of and nature of training for menopause management in postgraduate residents” arrives to similar conclusions regarding postgraduate family medicine, internal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology residents: there are gaps in knowledge (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30711122/ ).  Science Direct has an article from October 2022, “Menopause medical education around the world: The way forward to serve women’s health” that says “Physicians’ knowledge and competence in menopause management remain inadequate” (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2451965022000722).  Lastly, another article on Maturitas from April 2022 concludes that “Training programs for healthcare professionals worldwide should include menopause and postmenopausal health in their curriculum. It should include assessment, diagnosis and evidence-based management strategies.” (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35115178/ ).

So here is one of the things that I want: mandatory, up to date (!), thorough modules on Menopause for all medical students. I expect even more for doctors specialized in family medicine, obstetrics – gynecology, internal medicine, cardiology, endocrinology, neurology.

Now that the medical world is waking up and is changing its mentality on HRT, I expect and hope that the number of women receiving HRT for menopause will increase. This for me is an excellent time to start some new studies. But I have a few requirements here as well: I want the participants to be in the right age group, starting therapy even from perimenopause. I want to see the types of medication, the doses, and the pharmaceutical company that made those drugs.  I want clear information on the effects of long-term use of HRT, I want accurate data on adverse events and their mechanism. Do I want too much? I don’t think so. It will be more than a billion of us in menopause and living with it for more than 40% of our life.

Ending on a very personal note: after living with endometriosis all my fertile life, I was looking forward to menopause. If I endured almost three decades of excruciating pain and monthly inability to properly function, I refuse to suffer for the other 40% of my life. I’ve had it!

 All you women out there, let’s do this!