The effects of menopause can be crushing for women. Congress should find more money for research.

In the words of Chicago doctor Pauline Maki, “Menopause is having a moment.” And it’s about time. As long as I can remember, menopause has been the butt of jokes, but it’s not funny for the women suffering through it.

Menopause is the stage in a woman’s life that marks the end of her menstrual cycles. Women first experience menopause in their 40s and 50s. In the U.S., the average age is 51, and symptoms can last anywhere from seven to 14 years.

After menopause, the hormones estrogen and progesterone — which are essential to a woman’s sexual reproduction — drop and the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, stroke and urinary incontinence rises.

Women are at higher risk of coronary artery disease because of hormonal changes. Stroke is the No. 3 cause of death in women and kills more women than men. Bone density starts to decrease around the time of menopause. For many, it eventually leads to bone fractures.

Having first lady Jill Biden and actress Halle Berry come to Chicago to shine a light on this issue was an important step. I worked in the pharmaceutical industry and learned how low levels of estrogen and progesterone raise health risks. And it’s worse for Black women.

Link between hot flashes and memory lapses

According to a recent study by Carrot Fertility, 6,000 women reach menopause every day. In addition to the maladies we associate with menopause, Dr. Maki, a professor of psychiatry at University of Illinois Chicago, notes a clear correlation between the number of hot flashes a woman experiences and her memory performance. On average, Black and Brown women have a more difficult time with menopause, more severe symptoms and suffer from hot flashes for 10 years.

“Hot flashes disrupt sleep, and sleep is one of those things we need for our heart health and brain health,” Maki said in an extended interview on CBS2 Chicago. “If we look at my area alone, which is Alzheimer’s disease, Black and Brown women are the group that’s at highest risk.”

Since there’s no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, Maki says the economic impact could cost Americans tens of trillions of dollars for health care.

“So, by understanding menopause in the brain, we can help women bring to late life the healthiest brain that we can so that when the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease emerges, if it does, their brains are resilient to it,” Maki said.

From 2017 to 2021, 12% of Black women between the ages of 17 to 64 years lacked health insurance. By comparison, 8% of white women did not have health insurance, according to a study by the National Women’s Law Center. In Illinois, the number was 10%. These stats are important because women without health insurance could struggle to have their health care needs addressed.

As Jill Biden said, “Every woman will be affected by menopause, yet there’s a stunning lack of information about how to manage and treat its symptoms.” The White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research aims to make sure that women are not just an afterthought, but a first thought.

As a commissioner on the Cook County Board that oversees the county’s health and hospital system, I am urging Congress to fund more comprehensive research on menopause and its long-lasting effects on women’s health.

I also am asking the Cook County Board to request more funding for education on the symptoms and effects of menopause for medical workers — including primary doctors, gynecologists and specialists— to help them identify symptoms leading to, during and after menopause.

Given that people are living longer, especially women, we have to prioritize their quality of life, and knowing more about the effects of menopause is one way to ensure that happens.

Monica Gordon is Cook County Commissioner for the 5th District.

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