According to a 2019 survey from the Mayo Clinic, only about 20% of medical residents report having received any lectures on menopause, including residents in obstetrics and gynecology. You know, that biological event that about half of the population will experience?
You’d think that’d be something they’d want to maybe brush up on but what do I know: I am but a mere woman! Anyway, as a result of this glaring omission, less than 7% of the same cohort felt adequately prepared to help menopausal women manage their symptoms and…. duh.
But according to reporting from NPR, a number of states — most lately California — have proposed legislation to amend this endemic issue.
The Golden State’s Assembly Bill 432 would require physicians to complete at least 10% of all five hours of mandatory continuing medical education hours (required to maintain a medical license in the state) in perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopausal care if 25% (or more) of their patients are adult women under the age of 65. A pediatrician or geriatrician, for example, would be exempt from such requirements as their patient populations are (generally speaking) too young or too old to go through menopause.
In addition to California, 12 other states — Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Texas — have introduced legislation (a total of 21 bills) to ensure not only that doctors know how to treat a lady, but that state governments are doing their part to promote menopause education. Many of these bills include language that would redouble Public Health initiatives to share information on menopause to the public and healthcare providers.
But it’s not just the stereotypical symptoms of menopause — hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings — that are poorly understood and require attention. Menopause may play a role in a number of issues that occur during this biological change that doctors aren’t prepared for, including bladder and lower urinary tract infections, sexual function, mental health concerns, according to The Menopause Society. (Note to self: write a heartwarming British comedy starring Judi Dench, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Imelda Staunton as Olivia Coleman’s menopausal gurus and call it The Menopause Society.) Life after menopause can also often be poorly understood by many doctors, leading to substandard care for female patients.
In short: it’s safe to say women need somebody to do something, regardless of where these bills wind up at the end of their legislative sessions.
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