The Menopause Research Gap — And Why Education Can't Wait for Science to Catch Up

What a $150,000 research announcement tells us about where women's health actually stands

This week The Menopause Society announced something worth paying attention to.

Their newly established Research Pilot-Funding Program will support up to three independent pilot projects focused on women's health during the midlife years — at $50,000 each, running through November 2027.

It is a meaningful investment. And it is also, if you read between the lines, an acknowledgment of how much ground there is still to cover.

The gap in plain numbers.

Until 1977 there were only 35 medical research articles that even mentioned perimenopause.

Today that number is approximately 9,000 — compared to 1.2 million for pregnancy and 99,000 for menopause itself.

Perimenopause — the transition that can begin in a woman's mid-30s, last four to ten years, and affect virtually every system in her body — remains one of the most under-researched transitions in women's health.

Approximately two million women begin perimenopause each year in the United States alone. More than half — between 59% and 65% — experience vasomotor, psychological, or urogenital symptoms that impair daily functioning and quality of life. Yet recognizing perimenopause remains a challenge for both individuals and clinicians — no single biomarker reliably confirms its onset, and symptoms overlap with a wide range of other conditions. Wikipedia

Women are navigating this transition largely in the dark. And the medical system that is supposed to guide them is — through no fault of individual clinicians — working with incomplete tools.

What's happening in Los Angeles — and why it matters.

Right here in our city, UCLA Health launched the only Comprehensive Menopause Care program on the West Coast in 2023 — bringing together specialists in bone health, sleep, cognition, integrative medicine, and genitourinary health under one program designed to provide precision, whole-person care for women navigating this transition. ScienceDirect

The program's founder, Dr. Rajita Patil, describes the vision simply: putting the power in the patient's hands after having the right information and the right understanding of their health so they can make the best decisions for themselves. PubMed

That sentence stopped me when I read it. Because it is also — word for word — the mission of TRUE Wellness.

The clinical and educational communities are converging on the same understanding: that what women need most during perimenopause and menopause is not just treatment. It is understanding.

The education gap is as significant as the research gap.

Here is what the research funding announcement does not address — and what keeps me up at night more than any single study:

Even when the research exists, it rarely reaches women in a form they can use.

The average clinical appointment for menopause symptoms lasts less than 20 minutes. Most OB/GYN residency programs provide minimal menopause training — often as an elective. And the information that does reach women is frequently fragmented, contradictory, or filtered through a wellness industry more interested in selling products than providing understanding.

Despite perimenopause being a universal female experience, limited public awareness and inconsistent clinical recognition mean that most women arrive at this transition completely unprepared for what their body is actually doing. Wikipedia

Research funding addresses the science gap. Education addresses the understanding gap. Both are essential. And right now, education is the faster lever.

What you can do while the research catches up.

You do not need to wait for the next study to start understanding your body more completely. The science that already exists — on hormones, nervous system regulation, gut health, intelligent movement, and skin — is enough to change how you experience this transition if it is translated clearly and honestly.

That is what TRUE Signals is built to do. Every Friday — one clear insight that connects what the research already tells us to what you are actually experiencing.

Not a protocol. Not a product. Education — the kind that puts the power back in your hands.

Because your body has always been intelligent. It just needed the right interpretation.

Leila Cunningham is a Master Certified Health Coach, Peri/Menopause Educator, Intelligent Movement Expert, and member of The Menopause Society. TRUE Signals publishes every Friday at truewellnessbyleila.substack.com