Hey, Ladies, have you read about this?
In honor of Women’s History Month and to celebrate International Women’s Day, the medical journal The Lancet published a series of articles entitled Menopause 2024. It’s an interesting read, although some might question whether it’s insightful or downright insulting. While acknowledging the medical community’s history of ignoring and dismissing the healthcare needs of women as they age, it does a good job of calling for change within global healthcare systems.
However, the underlying theme of the series is pretty much…Suck It Up, Buttercup!
The pervasive, patronizing tone throughout makes one wonder if the series is actually a clapback against the rising tide of women and physicians who have turned to the Internet to raise awareness for menopausal care and to share their personal stories of medical gaslighting and misinformation.
And whoever greenlighted the introductory editorial certainly does NOT have their finger on the pulse of women in 2024. Geez!
Women and physicians across the world immediately responded via social media as well as through medical association press releases. Some counter opinions are telling. A petition was even created calling for The Lancet to retract the series. At the time of this publication, over 2600 signatures had been collected. You can visit the petition HERE.
Systemic Gender Disparities in the Healthcare System
Despite the growing social and medical attention that menopause care has been receiving, I’m willing to bet that many of you can relate to the exasperation of feeling medically gaslighted because your symptoms have been minimized or dismissed altogether.
This lack of appropriate care and medical support often leads us to dive deep into the bowels of the Internet in the hopes of discovering answers. Well, here are some interesting tidbits I’ve discovered while on my voyage down the research rabbit hole. Our healthcare system has a long history of excluding women’s medical needs, especially during midlife and beyond.
As far back as the 1970s, during the Women’s Movement, female researchers and doctors began to voice their concerns about the lack of research focusing on women’s health and well-being.
And in 1977, “an FDA policy recommended excluding women of childbearing potential from Phase I and early Phase II drug trials. The policy was broad and recommended excluding even women who used contraception, who were single, or whose husbands were vasectomized.” This further excluded women from representation regarding drug development as well as general medical research.
Due to growing protests in the late 1980s, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) required researchers to include the reasoning for excluding women and minorities. Still, participation was only encouraged but not required. It wasn’t until 1991 that the first NIH study of all female research subjects was conducted as part of the new Women’s Health Initiative. The focus was on post-menopausal women to test the effects of HRT, diet modification, and calcium and vitamin D supplements on heart disease, fractures, and breast and colorectal cancer.
In 1993, Congress passed the NIH Revitalization Act, an inclusion policy that required women and minorities to be included in NIH-sponsored research projects. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to guarantee compliance. About a year later, they added that an oversight committee was necessary to ensure adherence to the law.
And that’s not all…
A much more recent study from 2022 found that in the United States, women pay a whopping $15.4 billion (20%) more than men in out-of-pocket medical expenses. Women also seek out more healthcare treatments than men; still, insurance companies cover far fewer of their health claims, especially in the areas of radiology, laboratory, mental health, emergency care, office visits, and physical or occupational therapy.
Being female shouldn’t come with a higher price tag for basic healthcare.
It probably comes as no surprise that while women pay more for the healthcare they need, research for men’s healthcare receives twice as much funding. And only 4% of research and development spending is earmarked for women’s health.
To make matters worse, women are still far less represented among researchers and inventors in medicine and science than men, resulting in fewer dedicated studies and innovations that could help close the gender funding gap in these fields.
Estrogen vs. Testosterone
There seems to be a new Battle of the Sexes brewing these days when it comes to the use and availability of hormone therapy. In one corner of the ring are women who have struggled for years with perimenopause before being offered, if ever, the option of HRT to manage their symptoms.
Many doctors have been reluctant for the past two decades to prescribe HRT for women based on concerns from a 2002 Women’s Health Initiative study. These findings were widely reported in popular media regarding an increased risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease, sending a shockwave of fear through women and physicians.
Fortunately, those findings have been debunked by many other studies since then. As a matter of fact, HRT has been shown to safely manage symptoms such as:
- Mood changes
- Insomnia
- Inability to concentrate (brain fog)
- Dwindling sex drive
- Protect against osteoporosis (bone loss) and fractures
- Lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease
- Prevent or reduce urinary tract infections (vaginal estrogen only)
- Relieve dry skin, nails, and eyes
Even in the face of this new and compelling research, many doctors still cling to the outdated 2002 study denying prescriptions of HRT to women without disqualifying health concerns. In the opposite corner of the ring are men of all ages who are seeking testosterone therapy to enhance their sex drive, vitality, and strength.
Unlike the ever-fluctuating estrogen levels of women, men’s testosterone levels slowly decrease at about an annual rate of 1% after the age of 30. Testosterone therapy is not recommended for men whose low levels are the result of the natural aging process.
There is no such thing as ‘manopause’ or any male equivalent of the health consequences women face on their lengthy menopause journey. Although men can receive male reproductive healthcare from a urologist, “low-T” clinics and their telehealth online cousins are booming businesses across the United States. This makes access to hormone therapy for men quick and easy – whether it’s medically necessary or not.
Many of these testosterone/men’s clinics offer a wide range of services that cater to men’s health and well-being. They can opt for services focused on nutrition, weight loss, erectile dysfunction, hair loss, muscle loss, and more. In spite of growing concerns and criticism about the “peddling” of testosterone, lax medical protocols, and the risks of overprescribing testosterone, this industry dedicated to male hormone therapy is expected to continue to grow rapidly.
A quick internet search for men’s clinics in your area that specialize in making testosterone easily accessible might shock you. In my city of Memphis, TN, there are no fewer than 17. A similar search for women’s clinics dedicated to menopause care and/or easy access to HRT will produce very different results. In my big city, there seem to be only two.
Final Thoughts
Ladies, our journey through perimenopause is uniquely ours, and we don’t have to struggle in silence. By sharing our stories, advocating for better education, and pushing for improved healthcare practices, we can ensure that the road ahead is a little less bumpy for ourselves, our daughters, and our granddaughters. We have every right to call out medical gaslighting, stand together to demand better care, and shout to the world that our health matters, at every age and every stage.
Bess Arrington is a freelance content writer, copywriter, and marketer in Memphis, TN. She’s a cheerleader for all things socially responsible, sustainable, healthy, and empowering. She believes in ferocious positivity as a mindset, energy source, change maker, and dream builder.