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In the United States, approximately 2 million women enter menopause annually, and 8 to 10 million women experience menopausal symptoms in any given year. While menopause is not a disease, it

is considered a health condition because its symptoms can cause discomfort that can be alleviated through appropriate health care. In this report, analyses of Medical Expenditure Panel

Survey (MEPS) data by NORC at the University of Chicago in collaboration with the AARP Public Policy Institute reveal a low treated prevalence of menopause among women ages 45 to 64 in the

United States. The findings suggest that only a small percentage of women who could benefit from effective menopause treatments are receiving them. Further, this reality is affecting some

groups of women more than others.  KEY FINDINGS * Most women in the United States do not receive medical treatment for menopause. In 2021*, 2.1 million women ages 45 to 64 (5 percent of that

age group and 20 to 25 percent of women in menopause) were treated for menopause. * Hispanic (2.7 percent) and non-Hispanic Black (2.5 percent) women were less than half as likely as

non-Hispanic white women (6.3 percent) to be treated for menopause. * Among those treated for menopause, older women were more likely than younger women to have a prescription for hormone

replacement therapy (HRT), with 76.3 percent of women ages 57 to 64 taking HRT compared with 56.1 percent of women ages 45 to 56. THE TREATED PREVALENCE OF MENOPAUSE VARIES BY SEVERAL

CHARACTERISTICS This analysis of MEPS data uncovered disparities in the treated prevalence of menopause along four dimensions: race/ethnicity, family income, type of health insurance, and

highest level of education. See the report for detailed discussions, charts and tables about these variations. CONFUSION AND MISINFORMATION ABOUT MENOPAUSE TREATMENTS PERSIST HRT, a

collection of estrogen and progesterone treatments approved by the FDA in 1942, was the first menopause treatment available to women. HRT prescriptions plummeted in 2002 amid public alarm

over findings from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study suggesting HRT increased the risk of heart disease, stroke, and breast cancer; many clinicians stopped prescribing HRT, and the

number of women able to access it dropped dramatically. The conclusions drawn from the WHI study have since been refuted, but the public and many health care providers remain confused and

misinformed about the benefits and risks of HRT. Current scientific evidence suggests that starting HRT early in menopause or before turning 60 will enable women to gain the most benefits

from the treatment. However, this analysis found that HRT use was much more common in older women in late stages of menopause. Rigorous research on the risks, benefits, and ideal onset and

duration of treatments for menopausal symptoms is needed among racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse samples of women. In fact, a longitudinal study—that is, a study on women

starting HRT in their 40s and 50s and following them for at least a decade—has never been conducted. This analysis also found that women in menopause were more likely to have comorbid

conditions. A better understanding of how menopause is related to other health conditions is needed. WOMEN DESERVE MORE MENOPAUSE RESEARCH AND AWARENESS AND TRAINED PROVIDERS From a lack of

investment in research and medical training to limited treatment options, women in menopause in the United States are being underserved by the health care system. Encouragingly, menopause

and its effect on women’s health and financial security are gaining attention among policymakers. In the past few years, several federal bills were introduced in Congress to expand funding

for research on menopause detection, diagnosis, and treatment as well as to better train doctors about menopause and increase public awareness. *_To attain an adequate sample size, this

analysis pooled multiple years (2016–21) of MEPS data. Analysis estimates generalize to the average annual population over 2016–21. The authors interpreted these as an annual estimate for

2021._