[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1320 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1320
To direct the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs to take certain steps regarding research related to menopause,
perimenopause, or mid-life women's health, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 8, 2025
Mrs. Murray (for herself and Ms. Ernst) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs to take certain steps regarding research related to menopause,
perimenopause, or mid-life women's health, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Servicewomen and Veterans Menopause
Research Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Covered provider.--The term ``covered provider'' means
a health care provider employed by the Department of Defense or
the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(2) Menopause.--The term ``menopause'' means the stage of a
woman's life--
(A) when menstrual periods stop permanently and she
can no longer get pregnant; and
(B) that is not a disease state, but a normal part
of aging for women.
(3) Mid-life.--The term ``mid-life'' means a life stage
that--
(A) coincides with the menopausal transition in
women, which may be physical or emotional;
(B) encompasses the late reproductive age, which
can begin at approximately 35 years of age, to the late
postmenopausal stages of reproductive aging, which can
extend to approximately 65 years of age; and
(C) often marks the onset of many chronic diseases.
(4) Perimenopause.--The term ``perimenopause'' means the
time during a woman's life when levels of the hormone estrogen
fall unevenly in a woman's body and is also called the
menopausal transition.
(5) Postmenopausal.--The term ``postmenopausal'' means the
stage of a woman's life after a woman has been without a
menstrual period for 12 months that lasts for the rest of a
woman's life and reflects a time when women are at increased
risk for osteoporosis and heart disease.
SEC. 3. EVALUATION OF CERTAIN RESEARCH RELATED TO MENOPAUSE,
PERIMENOPAUSE, OR MID-LIFE WOMEN'S HEALTH.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall evaluate--
(1) the results of completed research related to menopause,
perimenopause, or mid-life women's health among women who are
members of the Armed Forces or veterans;
(2) the status of such research that is ongoing;
(3) any gaps in knowledge and research on--
(A) treatments for menopause-related symptoms,
including hormone and non-hormone treatments;
(B) the safety and effectiveness of treatments for
menopause-related symptoms;
(C) the relation of service in the Armed Forces to
perimenopause and menopause and the impact of such
service on perimenopause and menopause;
(D) the effect of combat roles on symptoms relating
to perimenopause and menopause, including exposure to
burn pits, toxic chemicals, and perfluoroalkyl and
polyfluoroalkyl substances (commonly known as
``PFAS''); and
(E) the impact of perimenopause and menopause on
the mental health of women who are members of the Armed
Forces or veterans;
(4) the availability of and uptake of professional training
resources for covered providers relating to mid-life women's
health with respect to the care, treatment, and management of
perimenopause and menopausal symptoms, and related support
services; and
(5) the availability of and uptake of treatments for women
who are members of the Armed Forces or veterans who are
experiencing perimenopause or menopause.
(b) Report; Strategic Plan.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall each submit to Congress a report
containing--
(1) the findings of the evaluation conducted under
subsection (a);
(2) recommendations for improving professional training
resources described in subsection (a)(4) for covered providers;
and
(3) a strategic plan that--
(A) resolves the gaps in knowledge and research
identified in the report; and
(B) identifies topics in need of further research
relating to potential treatments for menopause-related
symptoms of women who are members of the Armed Forces
or veterans.
(c) Nonduplication and Supplementation of Efforts.--In carrying out
activities under this section, the Secretary of Defense and the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that such activities
minimize duplication and supplement, not supplant, existing
information-sharing efforts of the Department of Health and Human
Services.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON ADDITIONAL RESEARCH RELATED TO MENOPAUSE,
PERIMENOPAUSE, OR MID-LIFE WOMEN'S HEALTH.
It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Defense and the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs should each conduct research related to
menopause, perimenopause, or mid-life health regarding women who are
members of the Armed Forces or veterans.
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