California became the 13th state to introduce a bill aimed at improving menopause care and education, NPR reported July 1.
In 2023, a need assessment published in the journal Menopause found that under a third of residency programs in OB-GYN offered training on menopause, despite about half of the older-adult cohort experiencing it.
New Jersey and California are weighing legislation that would make menopause education part of physician’s continuing education credits and licensing renewals. Other states, like Arizona and Massachusetts, are eyeing providing more information on menopause to providers and patients. And, in Illinois and Louisiana, bills could mandate insurance coverage for some menopause treatments.
“Thirteen states, including California, have introduced a total of 21 bills [related to menopause] this legislative session, which is pretty stunning actually for an issue that really wasn’t on any legislator’s radar, certainly three years ago,” Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, who runs the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at New York University in New York City and tracks menopause bills, told NPR.
California is considering two bills that would require a state agency to look into education gaps and how to fill them, and require menopause coursework for physicians to renew their licenses if at least 25% of their patients are women under 65.
Although the moves have been met with praise, medical groups have been wary of the potential requirements citing an increase of burden. Tanya Spirtos, MD, former president of the California Medical Association, told NPR that the bill is well-intentioned, but misguided. Physicians should be able to decide for themselves what training is relevant to their practice.
