How The US Health System Can Improve Medical Care For Women Over Forty: An Interview with Dr. A. By Shawna Robins

This is an excerpt from the full interview.

"I spent four years immersed in in-depth research of medical studies and publications on perimenopause, midlife, menopause, and post-menopause, as well as my therapeutic work and research with women who were also in various stages of these changes. I surveyed hundreds of women about their experience of the Regency years, asking them about their biggest concerns and disappointments with their healthcare.

These women shared their struggles, frustration, and rage with a medical system that habitually ignored, denied, or dismissed their lived experiences.

Validating these concerns, a recent 2023 survey and study by The NIH on women and their healthcare provider’s knowledge of menopause offers, “Women’s lack of education and their healthcare professionals’ lack of adequate training on the menopause (emphasis mine) means that women enter this critical life stage uneducated and unsupported. It is vital that everyone is taught about the menopause and that general practitioners receive proper training. The negative narrative of menopause needs to be re- addressed to normalize the menopause and give postmenopause women hope.” (1)

Unfortunately, physicians, even specialists such as OBGYNs, are given very little or no training in women’s menopausal transition. However, there is hope. In the past few years, a new field has appeared, and some doctors are now specializing in women’s menopause care and treatment.

On my website, women can find PDFs of medical research studies from 2018 to 2024 covering many issues that affect women in their Regency years, from 45–70+. In my practice, I offer group and private coaching that focuses on each woman’s lived experience during this transformational time. The education I offer to my clients includes what to expect during perimenopause, midlife, menopause, and post-menopause, which covers a significantly broad array of indicators and issues, as each woman’s lived experience of this time is as individual as she is. This explains why the standardization of menopause and midlife treatment is impossible at best and ineffective at worst.

What are some common health concerns for women over forty, and how can the healthcare system be more responsive to these needs?

To read the full interview, Click Here.