Stacy London: Welcome to Hello Menopause. I'm your host, Stacy London.

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: Hi! We're here!

Stacy London: Welcome to Hello Menopause. I'm so happy to see you. And I'm so grateful that you're here with us because you are such a legend in the menopause and menstruation circles. I want to talk about that whole world—from menstruation to menopause—in policy and legislation. How we're talking about equity when it comes to women's rights, especially medically. Your advocacy for policy changes is really, I think, so important. What parallels do you see in advocating for policy changes in menopause and women's health?

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: First, I'm going to say it is my double pleasure to be here with you. I love talking to you, Stacy. You're one of the most insightful people I've ever had the pleasure to be in company with. I'm thrilled to be here. Every time we've talked or been on a panel, you've given me so much to think about.

Stacy London: First of all, I didn’t pay her to say that. Those compliments fill me with so much joy because I don’t think enough people are talking about this. There’s a pioneer group that started some of these conversations recently, but you’ve been doing this work long before that. You’ve been looking at the connections in reproductive health, and how women are treated in the world.

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: I’ve been thinking about these ideas for a long time. The through line for me between menstruation, menopause, and reproductive health is democracy. Especially now, it's so clear. Even in just the past couple of weeks, I’ve written two pieces that connect authoritarianism with how society treats women, gender, and sex. It's all deeply connected. We're actually at the 10-year anniversary of when I first started thinking about menstruation as a public policy issue.

Stacy London: Yourself, but not ten years of menstruating! Ten years of study.

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: Right. It was January 2015 when I met some kids in my community who were collecting tampons and pads for our local food pantry. I got involved and immediately started asking questions like, "Why isn’t this funded? Who decides this? What are the laws?" That’s just how my brain works—thinking about systems, budgets, laws, access to justice. I ended up writing a piece for The New York Times. They published it, and that was a loud entry into the world of public menstruation policy.

Stacy London: Which is huge!

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: It really took off. By 2015, Cosmopolitan called it the year the period went public. Periods became a splash in the media. I focused on the public policy angle—why are menstrual needs underrepresented and what are the solutions? It went fast. Legislators, members of Congress, even the New York City Council contacted me. I had to catch up with the attention. And New York City became the first jurisdiction in the U.S. to pass a menstrual equity package of legislation mandating free period products in schools, shelters, and correctional facilities.

Stacy London: Is New York City the size of New Jersey?

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: (laughs) Scotland did pass a national law years later, but New York City, in terms of reach and replicability, was huge.

Stacy London: Let’s go back to the role of media. How much do you think media helped accelerate these policy changes?

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: A lot. I really believe the court of public opinion is just as important as the actual court. I worked hard behind the scenes with media to frame stories. Newsweek even put menstruation on their cover in 2016. I helped Cosmo launch a petition against the tampon tax. It got 100,000 signatures. Later, a YouTuber even asked President Obama about the tampon tax and that went viral.

Stacy London: And then came Trump. You’ve said before that misogyny plays into this narrative. Were these issues just previously overlooked, or purposely shunned?

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: There’s deep misogyny in the system, but back then, a lot of it was just ignored. Our advocacy brought it to light. But in recent years, particularly under the anti-woke discourse, things like period products in schools became controversial. Menopause came into my focus in 2020, and I thought, “Easy pivot!” But it was not.

Stacy London: What was different?

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: The science. The science around menopause, especially hormone therapy, is deeply lacking and highly politicized. That lack of research connects to lack of education, clinical training, public understanding, and insurance coverage. It’s like a tangled ball of twine—you can’t pull one thread without hitting all the others.

Stacy London: And it makes women furious. They don’t feel heard, even by female gynecologists.

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: Yes. The system itself is patriarchal. The NIH refusing to issue a modern statement on hormone therapy is a huge roadblock. But it’s all interconnected. The science, the education, the commerce, the policy.

Stacy London: You’ve testified before Congress, the White House, and state legislatures. What have you learned about advocating in those spaces?

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: At the state level, there’s stunning ignorance about women's bodies. But I’ve learned how to approach lawmakers with clarity and authority. One Republican legislator in Illinois, Steve Anderson, even shifted his stance after hearing from constituents. That year, Illinois expanded contraceptive coverage and became the 37th state to ratify the ERA. He and I even co-wrote an op-ed about it for Newsweek.

Stacy London: What about the White House?

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: I was invited after the Dobbs decision to talk about period tracking apps and privacy. It was a small, intense meeting with VP Harris. I focused on why people rely on those apps due to the lack of menstrual education. That conversation also connects to menopause apps, because many still have periods.

Stacy London: Could that kind of data collection be used for scientific research?

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: Possibly, but there's risk. Aggregated data can influence insurance, employment, and can be hacked or misused. It’s a national issue, not just state-level.

Stacy London: I see it affecting workplace policies, too.

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: Yes. And we’re in uncharted territory politically. Bodily autonomy is clearly in the bullseye. And this isn’t a warning—these things are already happening, especially to marginalized communities. If they’re coming for them, they’re coming for all of us.

Stacy London: Let's go back to media and menopause. What has changed since 2018?

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: We’ve seen real progress. In 2023-2024, four major bills were introduced in Congress focused on menopause. We’ve had executive orders and state laws in California, Illinois, and Louisiana. This is all measurable movement.

Stacy London: What gives you hope?

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: There are still doors open. States can act independently. In fact, the first state to mandate menopause hormone therapy insurance coverage was Louisiana. Illinois followed. Bipartisan support exists. We just have to keep going.

Stacy London: That actually gives me so much hope. I didn’t know those state efforts existed.

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: They do. And we’ve created a tool for the public. It’s called A Citizen’s Guide to Menopause Advocacy. It’s a free, downloadable PDF with steps anyone can take. Mary Claire Haver designed it. Maria Shriver wrote the foreword. You can find it on Mary Claire’s site.

Stacy London: That’s the action item. Download that guide. Learn, get involved, and share it. Jennifer, thank you so much for being here.

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf: Thank you. I always love talking with you.

Stacy London: I love talking to you, too.