Middle-aged women’s health issues often fly under the radar, because women may be focused on caring for others instead of themselves, or because the medical field has not adequately researched women’s health issues, according to Cleveland Clinic.
To address that, the Clinic has launched a new approach focused on women’s health in midlife and old age.
The Clinic on Wednesday announced its new Women’s Comprehensive Health and Research Center, which aims to improve women's access to care, provide health education and increase research into women's health issues, said Dr. Beri Ridgeway, the Clinic's Chief of Staff.
“Many [women] who go through pregnancies, births, don't get back into care and then arrive at midlife with chronic disease, illness, not feeling well," she said. "The lack of information to guide people through the transition of menopause has also been massively lacking.”
Clinic leaders said the need rose from the increasing number of women entering middle age and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics that show a high percentage of women 55 and older with chronic health conditions.
The Center's approach will focus on connecting women to resources, such as a landing page and help from the Center’s health navigators, who answer calls and direct patients to services. Health navigators may determine the caller needs an educational resource, like a doctor-led support group for menopause care, or a medical appointment addressing bone care.
Marion Brannan, a Clinic health navigator, said they’ve found online support groups have been popular and a good way to counteract online misinformation.
"The women will meet virtually with up to 14 other women. They'll learn about what symptoms may be attributed to menopause, what might be just regular old aging," she said. "They may also learn about what supplements may be worth their time, what may be a waste of money.”
Cleveland Clinic is also investing in seed grants and working with Maria Shriver’s Women's Alzheimer’s Movement to support research into understudied women’s health issues.
