08/28/2026
Menopause shouldn't require a PhD in persistence.
Perimenopause and menopause are no joke.
It took me eight years and three different doctors to get hormone therapy.
Doctor #1 looked at the weight I'd gained and said:
"Eat less."
Really?
You're telling a registered dietitian and lifelong exerciser that the answer is fewer calories?
Doctor #2 listened to my concerns about painful s*x and vaginal dryness and told me:
"You need more foreplay."
Champagne.
Rose petals.
Barry White.
Apparently that's supposed to fix hormone loss.
At 60, I finally saw a certified menopause practitioner.
She spent over an hour asking questions.
She listened.
She believed me.
I walked out with hormone prescriptions.
Finally.
Except...not quite.
Testosterone isn't FDA-approved for women, even though many menopausal women benefit from it. Women often need about one-tenth the dose prescribed for men, yet insurance plans won't cover it for us. Men, however, often have coverage.
HELLLLLLOOOOOOOO.
So women are frequently left paying out of pocket or navigating pharmacies that aren't set up for our care.
Last week, I spent nearly an hour going from pharmacy to pharmacy, explaining the prescription, waiting while coupons were entered, being told they didn't have it, then being told to come back...again.
At one point I wanted to scream:
"Can someone just give me my testosterone?"
Eventually, I got it.
But here's what keeps bothering me...
I'm an informed, educated, articulate woman.
I know how to advocate for myself.
I have the resources to find a menopause specialist.
And this is what it took.
What happens to the millions of women who don't?
Women's healthcare shouldn't depend on luck.
It shouldn't depend on privilege.
It shouldn't depend on finding the one clinician who actually understands menopause.
We deserve to be listened to, the first time.
We deserve evidence-based care.
We deserve better.
Because menopause isn't a niche issue.
If you're lucky enough to live long enough, it's a women's health issue.
LOUDER GIRLS don't whisper about menopause. We tell the truth until the system listens.
Have you had to fight to get menopause care? I'd love to hear your story.
