119-s1320

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1320 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

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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