Dr. Comen Traces Perimenopause Gaps to 1993 Exclusion of Women From Trials
Updated
Updated · Vox.com · Jul 26
Dr. Comen Traces Perimenopause Gaps to 1993 Exclusion of Women From Trials
1 articles · Updated · Vox.com · Jul 26
Summary
Dr. Elizabeth Comen said perimenopause and broader women’s health gaps stem from a long history of medicine treating women as an afterthought rather than designing care around their bodies.
1993 marked a late turning point: women were not required in NIH-backed clinical trials until then, and Comen said even animal research often excluded females, with mouse sex reporting only mandated in 2016.
That legacy left menopause and hormone therapy poorly understood, she said, helping drive sharp swings from aggressive hormone marketing in the 1960s and 1970s to later fear after breast-cancer risks were overstated.
Nearly half of Americans now get medical information from social media influencers, a trust gap Comen linked to fragmented care and the rise of unproven supplements and treatments aimed at women.
Comen said rebuilding trust will require more investment in rigorous science and a healthcare system that gives doctors enough time to listen to patients as people, not just biological cases.