In March, APA President Debra Kawahara, PhD, led a conversation on Capitol Hill with Rebecca Thurston, PhD, University of Pittsburgh chair in women's health and dementia, on the importance of midlife women’s health policy. Cohosted by the Society for Women’s Health Research, the discussion focused on the need for research, shifting the narrative on aging, supporting women in the workplace, and enhancing clinician training.
“Midlife women's health, with a focus on menopause, is a key priority for my presidential administration,” said Dr. Kawahara. “I am honored to engage with legislators and advocates on Capitol Hill to highlight the importance of menopause policy. My dedicated task force on midlife women's health will address this critical issue by advancing clinical standards of care, enhancing private and public research funding, and promoting public education.”
Federal menopause research is key to advancing midlife women’s health. In April, after announcing that they would cut funding for the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services changed course and stated that they would not cut this important program. WHI is a groundbreaking research project focused on preventing disease in older women. For decades, the National Institutes of Health initiative has tracked the health of tens of thousands of women to understand how to reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and more in women after menopause.
“Menopause is a critically important issue that impacts ALL women that live into midlife,” said Thurston. “The menopause transition is an important window for women’s mental health. Over half of women report increased depressive symptoms during menopause, and women are at a doubling of risk of clinical, major depressive disorder during menopause. There remain many gaps in research that we need science to fill. However, it is critical that legislators understand the importance of menopause. Women are the fabric that holds families, workplaces, and communities together—when we keep women healthy, we are all healthy.”
In 2024, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and former Representative, now Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) introduced the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act, which APA Services supports. This legislation would support research, public health awareness, provider training, and centers of excellence in menopause causes and midlife women's health.
APA Services will continue to promote Kawahara’s presidential initiative on Capitol Hill and advocate for women’s health research and midlife women’s health legislation.
For more information, contact Krysta Jonesopens in new window