Women find hope at New Albany menopause clinic
Mood swings, sleepless nights, uncontrollable crying — Nancy Thompson was in a dark place, until a local physician "turned the lights back on."
Driving the news: OhioHealth's new Menopause and Midlife Clinic recently opened in New Albany, a first for Central Ohio.
Why it matters: The specialized office is addressing a treatment gap preventing millions of women like Thompson from getting the care they need.
The big picture: Menopause is something every woman goes through, but doctors aren't required to learn much about it and research is underfunded.
Experiences can be so severe and varied that some women, including Oprah, feel like they're dying. But symptoms are often dismissed and misdiagnosed.
Only about 7% of OB-GYN residents reported feeling adequately prepared to manage menopause, per a 2019 survey published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
By the numbers: As of Jan. 30, just 106 health care providers in Ohio were credentialed as Menopause Society Certified Practitioners, per data provided to Axios.
That's compared to well over 1,500 OB-GYN providers.
Zoom in: One certified practitioner is Pragna Patel, the new OhioHealth clinic's first and only physician.
There's such high demand that she's scheduling new patient consultations into September, though a cancellation list may get some women in sooner.
OhioHealth is working to add more providers, and a second clinic is planned for the new Women's Center opening in 2027 on Riverside Hospital's campus, spokesperson Stephanie Stanavich tells Axios.
What they're saying: "Women in midlife have really been overlooked, so a lot of women are coming in here very excited, very eager, very grateful," Patel says.
Between the lines: Misinformation about the risks of hormone therapy, even among providers, has also kept the once-common treatment out of reach for many patients in recent years.
Reality check: For Thompson, it's been life-changing after struggling for years with symptoms ranging from heart palpitations to hair loss and brain fog at work.
After her primary doctor mentioned the clinic, she drove 90 minutes from her home in Northeast Ohio for her first appointment and received a prescription.
The bottom line: "I have her number saved in my phone as 'Dr. Patel, lifesaver,'" Thompson tells Axios. "I have my life back."
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