Menopause and estrogen patches dominated DC conversations. Now what?

Dr. Rachel Rubin, a urologist, applied a smidge of testosterone cream to her left wrist as she stood at a lectern, testifying to the Food and Drug Administration that they need to approve the medication for women.

It was one moment in a week of many when menopause took center stage across the federal government with three big meetings in Washington, D.C.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. met with physicians and manufacturers to increase access to estrogen patches and teach physicians other options on Sept. 15.

The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging hosted the first congressional hearing on menopause that same day, focusing on the lack of research on treatment and the need to train physicians beyond gynecologists.

The Food and Drug Administration met with physicians and experts about the benefits of testosterone for women, including increased libido, on Sept. 17. Researchers are studying its connection to bone density, muscle mass, cognitive function and mood.

“Many people say menopause is having its moment. It most definitely is. But it’s not a moment, it’s here to stay,” Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, executive director of New York University School of Law’s Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center, said at the Senate…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/life/