Doctor Says This Women-Specific Health Problem Is The 'Greatest Single Failure Of The Modern Medical System'
Dr. Peter Attia admitted that women have been misled for decades on a solution to this health problem.
PeopleImages | Shutterstock For women, the healthcare system is constantly working against them. From being ignored or even dismissed by professionals when they talk about symptoms, to many women-related health issues simply not being researched, including endometriosis and other reproductive conditions. It's not surprising that so many women feel as if they're fighting a battle every single time they walk into a doctor's office.
It seems there's yet another battle to add to that list, according to Dr. Peter Attia. During an interview with "60 Minutes," he claimed that there is one specific women-related medical problem that is the greatest failure of the modern medical system, and it's seemingly affecting perimenopausal and menopausal women specifically.
A doctor says not prescribing hormone replacement therapy to perimenopausal and menopausal women is the 'greatest single failure of the modern medical system.'
"[Hormone Replacement Therapy] HRT with women, I think an incredible mistake was made 25 years ago, and the amount of cognitive dissonance that is brewing and that has led to an inability for people to acknowledge those mistakes and to undo them has been glacial at its pace," Dr. Attia proclaimed.
Dr. Attia agreed that the reluctance to treat women with hormone replacement therapy has led to tens of millions of women every single year having to suffer through their symptoms without the proper care. Dr. Attia explained that watching his mother and mother-in-law, along with many of his patients, go through this is heartbreaking.
"Look, you want to take the most charitable approach to interpreting the actions of others. I try to steel man as opposed to straw man cases," he continued. "So they designed a trial in the '90s to test a hypothesis, but they really, really screwed up the interpretation and even on the subsequent analyses."
In other words, Dr. Attia explained, when you follow these women and repeat the analysis, estrogen given to women in this setting was not causing breast cancer. Yet, the narrative never changed.
After years of cancer being the reason women weren't receiving HRT, the FDA finally removed that 'black box warning.'
Dr. Attia insisted that he's had many debates with people who oppose HRT treatment for women going through perimenopause and menopause, and they will get lost in the weeds about how the treatment will cause cancer and other diseases. All in all, HRT treatment doesn't have many of the side effects that people have been taught to fear, yet the stigma is very much still alive.
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Because of that, countless women have had to suffer their way through some of the most challenging years of their lives without the relief that is easily accessible. Today, research shows that HRT can be beneficial for women within 10 years of menopause (or below the age of 60), with many physicians recommending women start treatment early in perimenopause to maximize the benefits and avoid complications.
Unfortunately, many doctors aren't receiving the guidance needed for HRT treatment and just treat menopausal women in general. According to a 2023 survey, over 90% of obstetrics and gynecology residency program directors in the U.S. agreed that residents should have access to a standardized menopause curriculum, yet less than a third reported that their programs actually offer one.
It's time we start having more conversations about perimenopause and menopause in general, considering millions of women are suffering and going through what is generally considered another form of puberty, without the proper care that they need.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
