What’s Behind the Menopause Moment?

Every woman will experience menopause yet the healthcare system has long been unprepared to support them. Today, an estimated 75 million women in the U.S. are navigating perimenopause, menopause or post-menopause, but too many still struggle to access evidence-based care. Decades of outdated research, gaps in physician training and persistent misconceptions left generations of women without the treatment they needed. In Episode 4 of Building Better Health, host Terence Samuel is joined by Dr. Lisa Saul, Chief Medical Officer for Women’s Health at UnitedHealth Group, and Dr. Barbara Levy, Chief Medical Officer at Visana Health. Together, they discuss how flawed science reshaped menopause care, why the healthcare system has been slow to prioritize women’s midlife health, and what it will take to ensure every woman has access to evidence-based, personalized care. 00:00–00:49 | Introduction 00:49–02:49 | The "Menopause Moment" 02:49–04:06 | Shifting Beyond Maternity Care 04:06–06:15 | Menopause as a Broad Journey, Not a Moment 06:15–08:46 | Training in Reproductive Endocrinology 08:46–13:59 | Holistic Aging and Tracking Surprising Symptoms 13:59–16:47 | Destigmatizing Conversations Across Generations 16:47–25:32 | The History of HRT and Lasting Reprehensions of a 2002 NIH Study 25:32–28:55 | Improving Healthcare Access and Clinical Education 28:55–32:48 | Normalizing Menopause Without Over-Medicalization 32:48–35:44 | Conclusion: Health Literacy and Information in the Digital Age About Building Better Health: Healthcare is complicated — and it’s changing fast. Building Better Health explores what’s working in health care today and what helps people live longer, healthier lives. Each episode features conversations with researchers, clinicians, and innovators on topics like preventive care, chronic conditions, mental health, affordability, Medicare and employer coverage, value‑based care, and the role of technology and data in improving outcomes.