Misinterpretation of hormone data and clinical gaps impact menopause care

Medical experts are highlighting how historical misinterpretations of data and gaps in clinical training have negatively impacted menopause care and women's mental health. At The Menopause Society 2026 Annual Meeting, Dr. Mary Jane Minkin noted that the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) findings—which showed a slight increased breast cancer risk in women taking combined estrogen plus progestin—were widely misinterpreted. This led to a near-total abandonment of hormone therapy, as the distinction that the estrogen-only arm did not show the same risk was often lost in messaging.

This shift resulted in a significant erosion of menopause education within medical residency programs. As hormone prescribing declined, many programs deprioritized menopause training in favor of other specialties.

Additionally, Dr. Fatima Khan has raised concerns regarding the dismissal of the link between hormones and mental health. She noted that women experiencing perimenopause or menopause often face misdiagnosis or are dismissively labeled as “hormonal,” which can mask serious psychological symptoms. Experts emphasize that hormones significantly impact cognition and mental health, yet clinical recognition of these “windows of vulnerability” remains insufficient.