A million Israeli women suffer from menopausal symptoms, but only a third of them are diagnosed

The Parliamentary Health Commission held a special meeting on the issue of combating menopausal symptoms in women – based on a new document from the Knesset Research and Information Center, prepared at the request of the acting chairman of the health commission, Knesset member Tatiana Mazarskaya (Yesh Atid). The document presents an alarming picture: a lack of diagnosis, a lack of medical solutions and a lack of national policy in this area.

At the meeting, data was presented according to which about 1.1 million women aged 45-60 years live in Israel today. About 85% of them suffer from at least three symptoms of menopause, that is, we are talking about about 935 thousand women. Despite this, only around 306,000 women have been diagnosed with menopausal symptoms, and in 2024 only around 25,500 women were diagnosed for the first time.

As the press service of the Yesh Atid party notes, the document presented at the commission states that the Ministry of Health does not have official data on the number of women suffering from menopause symptoms, and it relies on data from the Madonna association.

The document also points to significant gaps in the health care system: Israel does not have a structured national program for the treatment of women during menopause, the training of medical teams in this area is limited, there is no separate subspecialty for menopause treatment, and there is a shortage of specialized clinics and some medications to treat symptoms.

Menopause isn’t just about hot flashes. This period can be accompanied by dozens of different symptoms and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, cognitive decline, urinary incontinence and other health problems. One in four women suffers from severe symptoms that impair quality of life and daily functioning.

“I, too, experienced the symptoms of menopause: insomnia, hot flashes and increased blood pressure,” noted commission chairman Tatyana Mazarskaya. “I turned to my gynecologist and received medicine that improved my life. Therefore, I know how overwhelming this period can be and affect all areas of life. The data disclosed at my request for discussion is alarming: hundreds of thousands of women experience symptoms, but many are not diagnosed at all and do not receive the help they are entitled to. Menopause is not a death sentence and not something women should go through alone. We will continue to work to ensure that the health system can identify, diagnose and treat every woman promptly and appropriately.”

Knesset member Adi Azuz, one of the initiators of the discussion, added: “I have never seen that there is a shortage of Viagra, but there is a constant shortage of hormones for women. This is what systems run by men without a gender perspective look like. We don’t need research, we see the effects of menopause on our bodies. We don’t have to look for solutions – we are entitled to a normal service.”