Since Eve turned 40, perimenopause has clearly been a thing that somehow escaped documentation. I’ve only read parts of the Bible after it was required my junior year of LDS Seminary, but I don’t remember this passage:

And it came to pass after many seasons in the Garden, Eve did sweat mightily in the night. She became weary of the sound of Adam’s chewing and could no longer remember what the serpent had said about the apple. And she cried unto the Lord, “Why wasn’t I created a man?”

And the Lord replied, “There weren’t enough ribs.”

Menopause isn’t a one-in-a-million disease, it’s not rare, every women in the world will experience its pleasure. Yet, for something universal, the research and discussion around it remains silent.

Television commercials remind us every 15 minutes to ask our doctor about a medication for plaque psoriasis, toenail fungus or a disease we’ve never heard of. But no one tells women that brain fog, anxiety, insomnia, joint pain, heart palpitations, frozen shoulder, hot flashes and crushing fatigue can all be tied to changing hormones. Instead, many women spend years wondering whether they’re stressed, depressed, lazy or simply losing their minds. I couldn’t move my arm for weeks because I thought I’d damaged it painting our deck– nope a symptom of perimenopause.

These symptoms trigger the real work of finding a doctor, shuffling through the maze of insurance, waiting months until you can see the doctor, getting the right medication and dosage and then the months of seeing if it’s working. It’s a party fit for the Garden of Eden.

Women have spent generations hearing some version of, “It’s just part of getting older.”

But the men have entered the chat.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recently announced that military service members age 30 and older will receive annual testosterone screenings, while younger troops may request testing. Those found to have clinically low testosterone will have the option of hormone replacement therapy. He called this “Human Performance Optimization.”

Unlike ending the requirement for a flu shot which I knew was a bad move, considering, you know, history, I’m not sure if this is a good or bad move. Going off what my doctor has told me when I asked about getting testosterone since women are not just made of estrogen and spice and everything nice, as a medicine it can have a positive effect on a woman’s physical and mental health–but don’t ask your insurance to pay for it.

Treating a patient’s hormonal issues is good medicine but it’s not a war strategy.

I don’t begrudge our military service members proper medical care. Low testosterone can contribute to fatigue, depression, reduced muscle mass, decreased motivation and cognitive changes. If those symptoms affect a service member’s health or ability to do the job, they deserve medical attention. Soldiers should receive the best care available.

My issue stems from the fact women deserve the best medical care and research, too. This has not happened when it comes to hormone replacement therapy. Hormones suddenly matter because it can help men fight when women need it to live day-to-day.

For many women it’s waking up soaked in sweat at 2 a.m. It’s lying awake until 4 because your body has forgotten how to sleep. It’s anxiety that arrives without invitation. It’s heart palpitations that send you to a cardiologist, joint pain that sends you to an orthopedist, brain fog that has you wondering whether you’re developing dementia and exhaustion that makes you question every life choice you’ve ever made.

While women remain uninformed of HRT benefits after years of bad research proclaiming it will cause various forms of cancer and doctors continue to be way behind the research, men in the military will now have easy access to this treatment. What about us?

Hegseth commanded that within 30 days, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness is directed to rewrite policy for HRT. The military departments and the Defense Health Agency are instructed to update their procedures, educate medical providers and service members, and make testosterone screening available throughout the Military Health System. It should only take a month. One.

My hope is that despite the jealously and disgust I feel that yet again the needs of everyday women are overlooked by the men in government, this announcement will lead to a bigger discussion. Hormone replacement therapy will yet again have its moment in the sun so more accurate research and information can be shared.

I could certainly join the military but I think my brittle bones and age make me less than ideal, I feel my only action is to tell women suffering from perimenopause, shuffle through the maze, wait for months and get informed on HRT. You deserve to have “Human Performance Optimization” even if you’re not in uniform.

Maybe I did remember the Bible wrong. Perhaps there was supposed to be an eighth day.

And on the eighth day, the Lord created the estrogen patch and Eve wept.

Some may say I sound salt, but what I am is dry.