Why it matters: The Senate Special Committee on Aging held its first congressional hearing focused on menopause on Sept. 16.
The big picture: Rick Scott chaired the committee, and Kirsten Gillibrand served as ranking member.
The committee focused on menopause research, physician training and patient care. Suggested search topics included hormone replacement therapy access, women’s health insurance coverage for menopause, menopause treatment disparities, and menopause workplace policy.
Gillibrand said she and Scott were leading a bipartisan request to the Government Accountability Office. The request would examine federal menopause activities, physician training, and gaps in research and care.
What they’re saying: Scott said the committee had a history of bipartisan cooperation on issues affecting aging Americans. Gillibrand said the hearing aimed to improve access to information, providers and treatment options.
The record identifies four witnesses from public health, medicine, advocacy and the HHS Office on Women’s Health. They included Jean Wactawski-Wende of the University at Buffalo, Lynne Coslett-Charlton of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf of NYU Law’s Birbaum Women’s Leadership Center, and Suzanne Silverman Fenske of the HHS Office on Women’s Health.
Gillibrand said the average wait for an obstetrician-gynecologist is more than one month, with longer waits in rural communities.
Wactawski-Wende said women’s health research, especially research involving older women, has been underfunded. She called for studies examining how hormonal changes across the lifespan affect healthy longevity.
Political stakes: Gillibrand said she wanted greater federal investment in menopause research and changes addressing providers’ lack of preparedness.
The administration proposed reducing the National Institutes of Health budget by roughly 43 percent, according to Ms. magazine, while the proposed fiscal year 2026 Health and Human Services budget would cut that department’s budget by more than 26 percent, according to the Center for American Progress.
The other side: The administration summary also records developments involving menopause treatment. The Food and Drug Administration announced in November 2025 that it would remove broad boxed warnings from estrogen-containing hormone-therapy products.
HHS later said it would restore some funding for the Women's Health Initiative.
What’s next: Gillibrand said she was leading a bipartisan request to the Government Accountability Office with Scott and committee members. The hearing record lists no motion, markup, vote or other committee action.
The bottom line:
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