An Executive Order to Advance Women's Health

Something promising happened today in America. President Trump released an executive order to advance women's health. It follows on the heels of the first ever congressional hearing on menopause in September.

What does the order promise?

• Prioritizing women’s health research and translating findings into clinical care.  

• Focusing on women’s health needs throughout all stages of life with menopause and mid-life mentioned as specific under-researched life stage.

• The creation of a Women’s Health Division at The National Institutes of Health within 90 days.

• Increasing the number of women in clinical trials.

• The creation of a White House Women’s Health Task Force.

• Updating clinical education based on evidence. 

• Prioritize grants specific to prevention and early identification of health risks specific to women.

• Encouraging integrated care pilots which include prevention, early intervention, and treatment across primary care, specialty care, and behavioral health.

• Collaboration with states, community organizations, the private sector, philanthropy, and other stakeholders.

  
  

What are the limitations?

• Implementation is subject to appropriations and existing law.

• No change to insurance coverage or billing codes.

  
  

What this means for The Perimenopause Society

This order addresses key things we have been working toward: earlier diagnosis, midlife-specific care, and getting research into clinical practice faster. The order does not use the term perimenopause, but its emphasis on midlife, menopause, and on data that reflects women’s actual health outcomes makes the case for our work.

Here is how it connects to what we are building:

• Closing the diagnosis gap: The order calls for faster diagnosis. We are developing a biomarker study that would pair a biomarker, sdLDL-C, with the Menopause Rating Scale to help clinicians identify what is happening in midlife.

• Better care pathways: The White House Women’s Health Task Force will seek pilot programs that connect prevention, early intervention, and treatment across primary care and specialty care. That is the problem we want to address with our care pathways work.

• Better data: Perimenopause is still hard to see in the data, and the order’s focus on sex-specific outcomes and research inclusion is a step in the right direction.

• A seat at the table: The White House Women’s Health Task Force can seek input from nonprofits, academia, and philanthropy. We plan to stay engaged and offer perspective as that process takes shape.

Success will depend on how the NIH Women’s Health Division and The White House Women’s Health Task Force are set up, so we will be watching closely. If you want to follow along, follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to our updates.