Melinda French Gates Wants to End Women's 'Sleepless Nights'

A century after women were routinely sedated and restrained during childbirth, Melinda French Gates argues we may someday view today's menopause care with similar disbelief. In a New York Times op-ed, the philanthropist writes that nearly 1 in 3 American women over 40 suffers serious menopause symptoms—sleep disruption, joint pain, heart palpitations, memory issues, depression—yet only about a quarter receive treatment, despite links to higher risks of heart disease, osteoporosis, and some cancers. "Too many women are left to face another sleepless night ... while their appeals to the medical system have gotten them nowhere," French Gates writes. She adds, "Maybe you've been there."

French Gates says she had to push her own doctors for answers, even with top-tier access and years in women's health advocacy, calling the lack of info a systemic failure. Fewer than a third of OB-GYN residency programs teach about menopause, and less than 5% of postmenopausal American women now use hormone therapy, the most effective current treatment. French Gates is responding with more funding: expanding her women's health investments, bringing the total over $600 million in two years' time by targeting midlife and menopause care, research, medical training, policy changes, and workplace protections. "We need a menopause revolution in this country," she writes, adding, "We need to fight for women's health on multiple fronts at once." Read her essay in full here.