Millions of Women Are Left Out of Menopause’s Moment

Article excerpt

Millions of women navigating menopause face a cruel medical paradox: hormone replacement therapy, the most effective treatment for hot flashes, brain fog, and sleep disruption, is off-limits for those with breast cancer or other conditions. These women describe a landscape of inadequate alternatives, antidepressants with mixed results, lifestyle changes that rarely suffice, leaving them to endure symptoms that can last a decade or longer. While recent studies have rekindled mainstream interest in HRT's benefits, they've simultaneously highlighted who gets excluded from that conversation. Patient advocates argue the medical system has largely abandoned those who need solutions most urgently.