Melinda French Gates on perimenopause: It took 3 doctors to diagnose me

Despite access to the best healthcare, Melinda French Gates said it took three doctors to diagnose and treat her when she started perimenopause in her early 40s.

French Gates opened up about her menopausal experience on “Healthful,” Norah O’Donnell’s new podcast, which launches Wednesday. She said she “kind of couldn’t believe it” when she started perimenopause in her early 40s, a few years after she had her youngest child.

She knew the signs to look out for because of the stories her older friends would tell her on their weekly walks, she said. “But it was kind of unbelievable to me that, even in this, you know, unbelievably privileged situation I’m in, where I feel like I can get some of the best healthcare, it took me three doctors to really diagnose what I was going through and to get the right treatments for where I was.” 

French Gates continued: “It wasn’t because anybody was doing the wrong thing. It’s because of what I now know, which is, only a third — one-third — of OB-GYNs in this country are trained in menopause.” 

A 2022 survey found that 31.3% of OB-GYN residents reported having a menopause curriculum in their residency program. Meanwhile, a study commissioned by women’s health app Mira outlined the challenges that menopausal women face: Two in five respondents said their symptoms affect their work, and one in 10 said they have left or are contemplating leaving their jobs because of menopause symptoms.

French Gates talked more about menopause and her philanthropic focus on women’s health in the debut episode of “Healthful,” airing Wednesday. Watch on the Healthful YouTube channel, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.