Why one of the richest women in the world is calling for a menopause revolution:

Melinda French Gates is donating $215 million to fund menopause research and education:

Beyond the training gap, there are gaps in treatment and knowledge. The share of postmenopausal women in the United States using hormone therapy, the most effective solution for managing menopause symptoms we have right now, has plummeted to less than 5 percent...

Often, these symptoms strike when a woman is at the peak of her career, raising children and caring for aging parents. There’s a whole constellation of people relying on her. The Mayo Clinic estimates that menopause-related symptoms cost the United States $26 billion in medical expenses and lost work time every year.

I know that this is needed. When my joints started aching and I had hot flashes so intense I had to roll down the car windows and stick my head into the freezing wind... on the highway... in New England ... in January, I asked my doctor what I could do about the miserable state of my health. My young female PCP responded by shrugging her shoulders, "You're aging." That was some bullshit. I was able to find a Menopause Society certified doctor and get estrogen and progesterone prescribed to me, and now I can wear fleece pullovers again. But that's because I was in the midst of reading Dr. Jen Gunter's Menopause Manifesto. I knew what to look for. What about the 95% of postmenopausal women who didn't happen to have a friend who happened to mention a podcast with Dr. Gunter on it? That's a terrible way for women to get healthcare for something that every single one of us is going to go through. That is also some bullshit.

I coach women on setting boundaries in order to create healthy space for themselves. Inside that space, every woman deserves effective treatment for the serious medical issues they are facing. I'm grateful for Melinda French Gates making this more possible for women.