Likelihood of being prescribed hormone therapy may depend on the type of provider seen

(Press-News.org) CLEVELAND, Ohio (Oct 21, 2025)—Not all healthcare professionals receive the same type of formal education. That may help explain the results of a new study which suggests that provider type and specialty greatly affect whether a woman receives prescription medication treatment for menopause-related care and, if so, what kind of treatment she receives. Results of the study will be presented at the 2025 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society in Orlando October 21-25.

Menopause represents a time of significant physiological and psychosocial transition with symptoms that affect up to 80% of women. Hormone therapy has demonstrated effectiveness in managing challenging symptoms related to menopause. However, utilization of this treatment has declined such that only 3.8% of women between the ages of 45 and 59 used hormone therapy according to a 2023 study.

Researchers theorized that a prime factor contributing to this decline is the lack of standardized provider education for menopause management. They undertook a new study that extracted data from electronic health records for nearly 5,500 women with an outpatient encounter regarding a menopause-related code.

Among the study participants, 64.4% were seen by OB/Gyn, 17.6% by Internal Medicine, 12.4% by Family Medicine, and 4.5% by Endocrinology. Only 17.1% received treatment for menopause symptoms, and of those, 34% received systemic estrogen, 47% received vaginal estrogen, and 16% received selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Looking at provider specialties, patients were most likely to receive systemic estrogen if seen by an OB/Gyn. Patients seeing Internal Medicine or Family Medicine professionals were more likely to receive SSRIs. Broken down more specifically by provider type, patients were more likely to receive systemic estrogen from Midwives and Nurse Practitioners than by physicians. SSRIs were more likely to be prescribed by Physician Assistants.

Based on the study’s results, the researchers concluded that provider type and specialty significantly impact receipt of prescription medication treatment among women seeking menopause-related care, with differing prescribing patterns for systemic estrogen, vaginal estrogen, and SSRIs.

More detailed results will be discussed at the 2025 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society as part of the poster presentation entitled “Provider-Level Factors Related to Receiving Treatment for Menopause Symptoms.”

“Menopause is finally gaining traction in mainstream media, which is rightfully empowering our patients who suffer from menopause symptoms to come to us for help. Unfortunately, menopause is a topic that is often only minimally covered during our training, with less than 10% of residents in Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and OB/Gyn feeling prepared to manage menopause after graduation. This lack of standardized or adequate training translates downstream into highly variable care for our patients. We need to do a better job preparing our providers with the evidence behind treatment options so our patients can get the care they need,” says Dr. Anna Caroline Cochrane, lead author from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC.

These results highlight the need for more standardized education on menopause care for all provider types and specialties to improve the quality and consistency of care provided to patients.

“Education in menopause management is lacking in most medical training programs, so it’s no surprise that clinicians may lack the skills needed to adequately care for women in the menopause transition,” says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society. “That’s why easily accessible, evidence-based education is needed, including standardized training curricula and utilizing advanced educational technologies that will enable clinicians to develop and enhance their clinical skills. The Menopause Society is committed to providing menopause education to clinicians that will help improve the health o women everywhere.”

Both Drs. Cochrane and Dr. Faubion are available for interviews.

For more information about menopause and healthy aging, visit menopause.org.

The Menopause Society is dedicated to empowering healthcare professionals and providing them with the tools and resources to improve the health of women during the menopause transition and beyond. As the leading authority on menopause since 1989, the nonprofit, multidisciplinary organization serves as the independent, evidence-based resource for healthcare professionals, researchers, the media, and the public and leads the conversation about improving women’s health and healthcare experiences. To learn more, visit menopause.org.

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