Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
At Congressional Hearing This Week, Senator Will Put Oft-Taboo Topic Of Menopause Front And Center
The New York Times: As Midterms Rage, Gillibrand Wants Congress To Talk Menopause
As the Democrat in charge of her party’s intensive effort to win the Senate majority, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York has a challenging job. But on Thursday, Ms. Gillibrand plans to use her platform to spotlight an issue that has been absent from the campaign trail and little discussed in Washington, convening the first-ever congressional hearing on menopause. (Karni, 9/14)
More news about menopause —
University of Colorado Anschutz: Menopause Is Missing From Most Electronic Health Records, Study Finds
Menopause is frequently missing from women’s electronic health records, according to a University of Colorado Anschutz study of nearly 396,000 women participating in the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program. Researchers found that menopause appeared nearly seven times more often in participant surveys than in electronic health records (EHRs). The findings, published in Menopause, highlight both the potential of large-scale research programs to improve understanding of menopause and the need to routinely capture reproductive health information. (Pieters, 9/8)
USA Today: Doctors Told Women To Use This Medicine For Menopause. Pharmacies Can't Keep It In Stock
For almost a year, women have struggled to find estrogen patches to treat their menopause symptoms. And for almost a year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has told women there is no shortage of patches, even as the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists documents that there are almost 20 estrogen patch formulations impacted by the shortage, double the number from earlier this year. Now the FDA has acknowledged that many women are not able to get their estrogen patches and its leaders are working with six manufacturers to increase supply. (Trujillo, 9/10)
Prison Policy Initiative: Inevitable Yet Ignored: Prison Policies Disregard The Realities Of Menopause Behind Bars
Because the U.S. prison system was primarily designed to incarcerate men, women’s particular healthcare needs are often ignored. Currently, there are no existing national or international standards of care for menopause in prison. Our analysis of prison policies in every state, Washington, D.C., and the federal Bureau of Prisons produced little information about menopause in department of corrections’ policies, including in policy handbooks specifically for women’s prisons. We found mentions of “menopause” in only ten states’ documentation, and of those, none spell out what medical care, education, or resources prison officials provide to people experiencing perimenopause or menopause. (Widra, 9/1)
Live Science: Brain Shrinkage Tied To Aging 'Pauses' As A Woman Nears Menopause, Study Finds
The brain undergoes dramatic changes during puberty and pregnancy, but during menopause, the organ's structure remains remarkably stable, a new study suggests. (Barger, 9/11)
The New York Times: Should You Get A DEXA Scan At Menopause? What To Know About Bone Density Tests.
The American Medical Association recommends that women get their first DEXA scan — a low-dose X-ray that is the gold standard test for determining bone density — at 65 or older, unless they have a risk factor for osteoporosis. But a growing number of doctors and bone health experts now recommend earlier scans. They argue that if women wait until 65, they may miss a critical window to prevent osteoporosis. (Friedman, 9/10)
In other reproductive and maternal health news —
Rogue Valley Times: Fired NICU Doctors Push For Changes Inside Asante Leadership
Families of recent patients of the Medford, Oregon, region’s only NICU — which provides care for critically ill and premature infants born as early as 22 weeks and weighing less than 1 pound — voiced concerns about quality and consistency of care under a host of recent changes, including replacement of an established team of NICU doctors with temporary providers. (Pollock, 8/24)
Wyoming Public Radio: In Wyoming, A First-Ever Maternal Health Summit Hopes To Fill Gaps
Wyoming’s first-ever maternal health summit drew more than 150 caregivers, public officials and advocates from across the Mountain West to discuss solutions to fill gaps in rural healthcare. (Merzbach, 9/11)
The New York Times: A Gender War Explodes In Utah Over The Courts, Abortion And Representation
When Republicans tried to repeal a law that voters passed banning gerrymandering, they found an opposition that flew in the face of Utah women’s “tradwives” imagery. (Zernike, 9/13)
Wyoming Public Radio: Pregnant Rural Residents Could Have To Drive Longer Distances For Care
Residents in rural areas already drive long distances to deliver their babies. Now, a new analysis has found that they could have to drive a lot further because of cuts to Medicaid insurance. (Merzbach, 9/11)
NPR: Tatyana Ali Advocates For Black And Indigenous Maternal Health
Actor and singer Tatyana Ali has become an important voice in a growing movement to improve maternity health outcomes for Black and Indigenous mothers and babies by addressing systemic racism and inequity in maternity care. Ali has been calling for reproductive justice since experiencing what she calls "obstetric violence" during the delivery of her first-born son Aszi in 2016. (Wright, 9/13)
Also —
AP: Greek Woman, 54, Gives Birth To Baby From Embryo Frozen For 22 Years
Out of their darkest moment, a Greek couple managed to make a new start with a baby born this week. Doing so meant using one of Cristina Rapti‑Tzelepi’s decades-old embryos and racing to beat a government deadline. Just months after their 21‑year‑old son died in a road crash in October, Rapti‑Tzelepi, now 54, and her husband made the decision to pursue another attempt using an embryo frozen for 22 years. (Gatopoulos, 9/12)
