Why Menopause Care Needs a Makeover (And How Telehealth is Leading the Charge)

Apr 2

Let’s talk about something that’s been bugging midlife women for far too long: being dismissed, dismissed, and dismissed again by the healthcare system.

You walk into your provider’s office with night sweats, insomnia, brain fog that makes you forget your own kid’s name and you leave with an antidepressant, a pat on the head, and maybe a reminder to try meditation.

Ladies… enough.

On an episode of Women Mastering Midlife, I sat down with Jaclyn Piasta, women’s health nurse practitioner, certified menopause expert, and founder of Monarch Health, to talk about why the current healthcare system is failing midlife women, and what we can do about it.

Spoiler alert: It’s not just you. The system really is broken. But there’s hope.

“You're not too young for this.”

One of the biggest myths we busted? That menopause starts at 50. Nope. The average age is 51, but perimenopause can begin as early as your mid-30s. That means all those symptoms you’re feeling: sleep disruption, mood swings, heavy periods, low libido, they could be perimenopause. And the sooner we connect those dots, the sooner you can feel like yourself again.

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“Your hormones aren’t broken, your doctor might be undertrained.”

Jaclyn and I talked about the huge education gap among healthcare providers when it comes to menopause. At one of the top institutions in the country, only 7% of residents said they felt comfortable treating menopausal patients. Let that sink in.

You’re not crazy. You’re not high maintenance. You’re not imagining things. You’re just dealing with a life transition your provider likely never got proper training on.

Enter: Telehealth and Empowered Care

The good news? There’s a new wave of practitioners (like Jaclyn) who are flipping the script. Through telehealth, women in Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, and Texas can work directly with Jaclyn to receive personalized, compassionate menopause care from the comfort of their homes. (Not in those states? She’s got a national network of providers she can recommend.)

Telehealth appointments with Jaclyn last an hour, not five rushed minutes. She dives into your full hormonal history, listens to your story, and crafts a care plan based on you, not a textbook.

Because guess what? You’re not a textbook.

Let’s talk hormone therapy

We also broke down the fear and confusion around hormone therapy. Thanks to a flawed 2002 study (you might’ve heard of the WHI), hormone therapy got a bad rep. But today? We have body-identical options that are safe, effective, and even life-changing for many women.

Jaclyn put it beautifully: “Menopause isn’t a disease. It’s a transition. And we need to treat it with the nuance, care, and respect it deserves.”