Voices of Change: Women Leading the Menopause Movement
November 20, 2025 | Women in Leadership, Women in healthcare, podcast
For decades, menopause has been swept under the rug, or into the dark corners of clinicians’ offices, often dismissed as something women just had to “get past” and hardly worth discussing. In this episode of “Hear From Her,” learn how three leaders in menopause medicine are building a new standard of care with compassion and education—and shouting their message from the rooftops: Anyone who takes care of women should know about menopause care. Period.
For Dr. Alyssa Dweck, the shift to menopause care came naturally—as stages of life do. As an OB/GYN, she spent her early career delivering babies. But as her patients got older, their health needs changed. “As my patients stopped having babies and started entering perimenopause and menopause, I was growing up with them,” she says. “We didn’t get much training in medical school or residency.” As an underserved space, it was learn-as-you-go.
Heather Maurer’s path into menopause medicine was also shaped by lived experience. As well as being CEO of The National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH) “I am officially in full menopause,” she says. And looking back, I see missed opportunities in my own care.
“Six years ago I had a frozen shoulder for over a year, and in hindsight I was absolutely in perimenopause. And not once did anyone suggest that it might be estrogen related,” she says. That gap in her own clinical care helped inspire her work to provide continuing education through NPWH for advanced practice providers. Practitioners need evidence-based education and tools to raise the standard of women’s care, she says.
The menopause desert
Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, also an OB GYN, recalls the abrupt halt in menopause education when the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study was published. The study (suggesting that HRT increased risks for breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke, but whose findings were later revealed to depend on many factors), stirred up tremendous fear with both clinicians and patients about hormone replacement therapy. “Menopause education stopped on a dime,” Minkin says.
Around the same time, residency programs were trying to shorten their hours. “And if no one’s taking hormones, then why bother teaching about menopause?” So menopause training went out the window. Twenty years later, Minkin says, we’re still trying to dig out of that hole. We are still in a menopause desert.”
Reshaping menopause care
Historically, women have been excluded from clinical trials, says Maurer. “There’s very little research done specifically in women. [We] were sort of considered little men in terms of extrapolating results and applying them to women’s health, which really just isn’t the case.”
Despite these challenges, the landscape is shifting largely thanks to these passionate women’s healthcare leaders. Patient advocacy, workplace awareness (yes, more toilets and cooler room temperatures go a long way, they say), and entrepreneurial innovation are shining a light on menopause care. Telehealth platforms dedicated to perimenopause and menopause are expanding access. Private companies like Bonafide, where Dweck is Chief Medical Officer, are investing in research and creating products offering hormone-free menopause symptom relief for women. Nurse practitioners are stepping into leadership roles, particularly in underserved areas, to bridge care gaps.
“We have more than 13,000 women’s health nurse practitioners in the U.S., many working in rural or federally qualified clinics,” says Maurer. They are critical in helping women access both treatment and education, and encouraging patients to bring information back to their care teams.
“As a patient, I bring studies to my primary care person who’s not a WHNP or an OB GYN and say, ‘Hey, here’s all this great information about menopause and perimenopause.’” In today’s world, physicians have like 15 minutes for each patient appointment, Maurer says, and everyone has to play a part in maximizing that time.
All three women believe that menopause shouldn’t require specialists at all, and that women’s health should be a standard pillar of medical practice. “It’s basic healthcare, and every provider should know about this,” Minkin says. It’s a chapter in every woman’s life if they’re lucky enough to live that long. “More women will go through menopause than will ever have a baby.”
Adds Maurer: “Anyone who takes care of women should know about menopause care. Period.”
For more information, or to find a menopause specialist in your area, go to menopause.org.
Follow us for updates on upcoming podcasts and more insightful conversations.
For more information, please contact Jelena Spyropoulos (Global) or Piyali Shin (US).
About Medscape Education
Medscape Education (medscape.org) is the leading destination for continuous professional development, consisting of more than 30 specialty-focused destinations offering thousands of free CME and CE courses for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.
This content was provided by Medscape Education
Company Details
Latest Content from Medscape Education
Medscape Education: Rare Diseases
It's only a few days until #RareDiseaseDay2023 on 28th February. We're taking a patient centered approach, this means understanding their journey so we can better understand how we can help to...
Together Caring for Rare Disease
Medscape Education and Medics4RareDisease are partnering on a Rare Disease Day awareness campaign. The campaign will form part of a series of short programs produced by ITN in collaboration with Genetic Alliance...
Medscape Education Wins Best Practice Award for Learner Outcomes at NAMEC
This year's winners have been announced for the National Association of Medical Education Companies (NAMEC) awards. These awards recognize best practices-ideas or processes that can be implemented by NAMEC members to...
Medscape Education and Medics4RareDisease Uncover the Education Gaps in Their Compelling Rare Disease Day Campaign
Medscape Education and Medics4RareDisease are partnering on a Rare Disease Day awareness campaign. The campaign will form part of a series of short programs produced by ITN in collaboration with Genetic Alliance...
What Does Net Promoter Score Offer in the Evaluation of Continuing Medical Education?
Net promoter Score (NPS) has been used in many fields, such as software, clinical care, and websites, as a measure of customer satisfaction since 2003. With a single question, NPS...
DIGITAL HEALTH IN PRACTICE AND OVERCOMING DIGITAL FATIGUE
During this year’s Reuters event, Pharma 2022, WebMD CMO, Dr John Whyte discussed the ways in which digital health is growing, and the importance of educating clinicians in the right...
ESMO’s New Focus on Cancer Prevention
During ESMO 2022 in Paris, John Whyte, chief medical officer at WebMD was joined by Fabrice André, MD, PhD, Chair of the scientific committee at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO),...
ESMO Patient Centricity – Highlights from Steve Clark
During #ESMO22 we brought together a panel of world-renowned experts, including WebMD CMO John Whyte, Professor Nadia Harbeck, MD, PhD, Lesley Fallowfield DBE, and Steve Clark, patient advocate and campaigns ambassador, Cancer Research UK (CRUK),...
ESMO Patient Centricity Highlights from Dr. Whyte
During #ESMO22 we brought together a panel of world-renowned experts, including WebMD CMO John Whyte, Professor Nadia Harbeck, MD, PhD, Lesley Fallowfield DBE, and Steve Clark, patient advocate and campaigns ambassador, Cancer Research UK (CRUK), volunteer...
Closing The Gaps in Patient-Centricity in Cancer Care
Highlights from the Medscape Education full panel discussion during this year's #ESMO22.