Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act

Overview

S. 4503, the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act, introduced in the 119th Congress on May 12, 2026, aims to improve menopause care and mid-life women’s health through expanded federal research, public health activities, training, and coordination. The bill emphasizes integrated, evidence-based approaches to care, addresses health disparities, and creates Centers of Excellence to advance education and services related to menopausal symptoms and mid-life health.

Main purpose and intent

• Accelerate and coordinate federal research on perimenopause, menopause, and mid-life health.
• Expand public health promotion, prevention, awareness, and education related to menopausal symptoms and associated chronic conditions.
• Improve training for health care providers and students to enhance care for mid-life women.
• Establish Centers of Excellence to bolster professional education and community engagement.
• Create reporting, evaluation, and interagency coordination to ensure accountability and progress.
• Allocate dedicated funding for the authorized activities over multiple fiscal years.

Key provisions and changes

1) NIH research and coordination (Section 2)

• Adds new NIH-wide research focus (via the Office of Research on Women’s Health) on:
  • Impacts of perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause on physical, oral, mental, behavioral, and cognitive health.
  • Prevention of adverse health outcomes during the menopausal transition.
  • Health disparities, including rural vs. urban/suburban differences.
  • Development of integrated, collaborative approaches to menopause care, including non-pharmacological and pharmacological options.
• Grants to eligible entities for:
  • Biomedical/public health research and diagnostics for perimenopause and menopausal conditions.
  • Clinical/translational research for mid-life women’s health.
  • Development and testing of evidence-based, integrated care approaches.
• Eligible grant recipients include teaching hospitals, schools of medicine/dentistry/nursing/pharmacy, residency programs, historically Black colleges or universities, minority-serving institutions, academic/research institutions, small businesses, and other appropriate entities.
• NIH to create new Research, Condition, and Disease Categorization categories for menopause-related conditions.
• Requires NIH to coordinate and expand federal research and translational activities, including addressing vasomotor symptoms, osteoporosis, cognitive issues, cardiovascular health, genitourinary conditions, sleep disorders, and other menopausal symptoms.

2) Public health research and data (Section 2)

• Adds a new Public Health Service Act section (Sec. 310C) to:
  • Expand public health research on the severity/duration of menopausal symptoms and related chronic conditions affecting mid-life health.
  • Improve health care quality research and data collection related to care delivery and preventive services.
  • Establish a dashboard for reporting data on menopausal symptoms and mid-life health outcomes.
  • Conduct occupational health research on workplace stressors and adverse health outcomes during menopause transition.
  • Pursue interagency coordination for menopause-related initiatives.

3) Public health promotion and prevention (Section 3)

• Adds Part X to promote mid-life women’s health:
  • Expand promotion/prevention efforts for menopausal symptoms and related chronic conditions.
  • Funding for early detection, diagnosis, and treatment quality improvement; grants to states, accredited education entities, or other appropriate organizations.
  • Support care coordination to improve access to primary and specialty care.
  • Develop best practices for mental health and substance use prevention related to menopausal symptoms.
  • Create recommendations to reduce health disparities and improve access to integrated care.
  • Oversight of safety/effectiveness of new treatments and tools, including AI devices.
  • Authorized appropriations: $10 million annually (FY2027–FY2031).

4) Public health awareness, education, and outreach (Section 4)

• Creates Sec. 399PP–1:
  • A national awareness/education/outreach program on menopause and mid-life health targeting patients, providers, first responders, and stakeholders.
  • Dissemination of educational materials, risk identification, and addressing barriers to care.
  • Culturally appropriate outreach, with special provisions for Indian Tribes.
  • Regional customization and prioritization of rural/medically underserved populations.
  • Online resources (website) with webinars, CE modules, videos, fact sheets, toolkits, etc.
  • Authorized appropriations: $10 million annually (FY2027–FY2031).

5) Training programs (Section 5)

• Adds Sec. 758:
  • Grants to develop or expand training programs for providers and students (physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, etc.) to improve mid-life women’s care.
  • Supports residencies, fellowships, and related training.
  • Eligible entities include medical/dental/nursing/pharmacy schools, teaching hospitals, residency programs, and related training programs.
  • Authorized appropriations: $10 million annually (FY2027–FY2031).

6) Centers of Excellence (Section 6)

• Adds Sec. 399PP–2:
  • Designation of Centers of Excellence in menopause care and mid-life women’s health.
  • Grants to centers that provide education/resources for providers, with emphasis on community engagement and partnerships.
  • Criteria emphasize accreditation, community partnerships, and information dissemination on evidence-based treatments.
  • Priority geographic distribution and emphasis on health professional shortage areas and medically underserved populations.
  • Annual reports and program evaluations of centers’ activities.
  • Authorized appropriations: unspecified (subject to appropriations as necessary for FY2027–FY2031).

7) Reporting requirement (Section 7)

• Requires periodic reporting to Congress (initially within 2 years after enactment, then annually):
  • Progress and activities under the Act, including research, outreach, and training.
  • Data gaps, barriers, and disparities, especially for rural/underserved populations.
  • Recommendations for expanding integrated care and awareness.
  • Information on access barriers and training opportunities.

8) Interagency coordination (Section 8)

• Secretary of Health and Human Services to coordinate with VA, DoD, and other federal agencies as appropriate.

Who would be affected

• Federal agencies and NIH institutes/centers involved in women’s health research.
• Institutions of higher education, teaching hospitals, residency programs, and minority-serving institutions eligible for grants.
• Health care providers and students in medical, dental, nursing, pharmacy, and behavioral health fields.
• State, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments.
• Public health departments, community health centers, and health systems serving mid-life women.
• Mid-life women experiencing perimenopausal/menopausal symptoms, and their caregivers.
• Rural, underserved, and medically underserved populations, given emphasis on disparities.

Timelines and funding

• Authorization of appropriations for core activities: $25 million per year (FY2027–FY2031) for sections 404P and 310C research-related activities.
• Public health promotion, training programs, awareness, and centers of excellence: $10 million per year (FY2027–FY2031) for several sections (promotion, training, awareness).
• Centers of Excellence, training, and awareness programs would require annual reporting and evaluation.
• Annual reporting to Congress begins no later than two years after enactment, continuing thereafter.

Potential impact

• Expanded understanding of menopause and mid-life women’s health, with a focus on disparities and comprehensive care.
• Increased funding and structure for research, translation, and implementation of integrated care models.
• Improved provider education and patient awareness, potentially improving access to timely, appropriate care.
• Creation of Centers of Excellence and nationwide dashboards could enhance standardization and evaluation of menopause-related care.
• Greater attention to mental health, substance use prevention, and occupational health aspects tied to mid-life symptoms.