Hot Flashes And Meat Sweats: House Advances Menopause Education Bills

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 03/05/2026) “Have you ever had the meat sweats?” Rep. Samantha Steckloff (D-Farmington Hills) asked lawmakers in her speech during session on Thursday that urged members to support her package increasing education about menopause for physicians and the public.

“Well, I am sure many of the men in this room have, but the story I'm about to tell you is so much worse.”

Steckloff used the moment to share a personal story about entering medically induced menopause at age 31 while undergoing treatment for breast cancer, describing a severe hot flash that left her sprawled on a restaurant bathroom floor shortly before her first chemotherapy treatment.

“I was violently ill for the next 20 minutes,” Steckloff said, recounting how the symptoms struck suddenly and repeatedly. “And then it hit me. This was about to be my foreseeable future, and I needed to learn how to deal with it.”

Every single woman, she told members, is going to go through this, yet it is rarely talked about. One of the most significant impacts of this legislation for Steckloff is simply just opening the conversation.

Rep. Jamie Thompson (R-Brownstown), a co-sponsor of the package, said the legislation is intended to address gaps in medical training around menopause.

“Menopause is the only health challenge that will affect half of the population, yet it remains one of the most under-taught areas in medicine,” Thompson said.

Thompson cited national data indicating only about 20% of OB-GYN residency programs include menopause curriculum, while more than half of U.S. medical schools offer zero required hours on the topic.

HB 4790 was approved by a vote of 109-9 with Reps. Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers), James DeSana (R-Carleton), Joseph Fox (R-Fremont), Jaime Greene (R-Richmond), Matt Maddock (R-Milford), Angela Rigas (R-Caledonia), Bradley Slagh (R-Zeeland), Rachelle Smit (R-Shelbyville) and Donni Steele (R-Lake Orion) voting against it.

Under that bill, the state’s medical licensing boards would ensure that continuing education courses covering women’s midlife health, including menopause symptoms and related chronic conditions, are available for physicians renewing their licenses. It does not mandate the courses but encourages physicians to take them as part of their existing continuing education requirements.

HB 4791 also passed 109-9 with the same opponents and directs the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to develop or adopt a menopause awareness education program in consultation with medical boards and organizations focused on women’s health. The program would provide information on menopause symptoms, related chronic conditions and treatment options, and could be shared with both healthcare professionals and the public.

Despite Greene being uncomfortable with the topic being discussed on the House floor, she actually felt that the bills didn't go far enough to meaningfully address the gaps in medical education.

“If we’re really serious about women’s health, we would mandate it in college and put it on the tests that doctors take,” Greene said, suggesting menopause education should be integrated directly into medical training rather than encouraged through optional programs.

Greene also argued that patients already have options in the healthcare marketplace if their doctors do not adequately address menopause symptoms.

“We still live in a free market system so I can go to another doctor that specializes in that,” she said.

Thompson seems to think there still aren't enough doctors that specialize in menopause, based on her speech.

“Only 94 physicians in this state are considered by the Menopause Society as a menopause practitioner,” Thompson said. “These facts paint a clear picture that there is a problem. Women are seeking answers to these questions. They are seeking counseling, but they are being told to go away and that this is something that you just must endure.”