Why it took so long to talk about perimenopause - vox.com

What the report says

Vox reported on July 26, 2026, that the growing public conversation about perimenopause reflects a much older problem: women’s health has often lagged behind broader medical progress. The article, tied to Vox’s Explain It to Me podcast hosted by Jonquilyn Hill, features Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a breast cancer specialist and associate professor at NYU Langone, who argues that medicine has historically reflected social structures in which women had limited authority over their bodies.

The discussion traces how many areas of medicine developed without women’s experiences at the center. Comen says the gaps extend beyond reproductive care and breast cancer into neurology, gastroenterology, cardiology, immunology and joint health. She also points to older ideas that treated women as smaller versions of men, the marginalization of midwives and women healers as medicine professionalized, and dismissive diagnoses such as “hysteria.”

On menopause and perimenopause, Vox notes that perimenopause is a relatively recent term in common public discussion. The episode also reviews the shifting history of hormone therapy, from aggressive promotion in the mid-20th century to widespread fear after later studies and media coverage emphasized risks. Comen says researchers now have a more detailed understanding of the limits of earlier evidence, though major scientific questions remain.

The article highlights why trust remains fragile. Vox cites the late inclusion of women in many clinical trials, including the NIH’s 1993 mandate, and Comen notes that even animal studies long failed to consistently account for sex. Against that backdrop, she warns that uncredentialed online influencers and unproven supplements can exploit frustration with medical care, making stronger science and better doctor-patient communication essential.