
PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Midi Health, the nation's leading provider of insurance-covered virtual care for women, today announced findings at The Menopause Society 2026 Annual Meeting in San Diego on how estrogen patch supply challenges are affecting women on menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and how the midlife experience impacts women beyond hot flashes. Midi Health's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kathleen Jordan and Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Mindy Goldman presented the studies, co-authored with Senior Director of Clinical Research Dr. Cynthia Castro Sweet. Both abstracts will be published in Menopause, the official journal of The Menopause Society.
Nearly half of women surveyed for the study on estrogen patches reported trouble getting prescriptions filled in 2026
The first study examined the impact to women from the supply challenges with estradiol patches. Demand for menopausal hormone therapy has risen in recent years, especially since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed the black box warning on MHT, and patches have been intermittently hard to find. Midi Health surveyed subscribers to its newsletter asking about their experience filling their prescriptions; among respondents using estradiol patches, 44% reported difficulty getting their prescription filled in 2026, and 34% of those said their pharmacy was out of stock. To cope, 55% changed or used multiple pharmacies, 28% rationed their medication, and 10% stopped therapy entirely. Overall, 39% said their symptoms returned or worsened, 25% lost sleep, and 12% said they were less productive at work. Thirty-two percent reported a significant-to-severe impact on their well-being, and 69% lacked confidence they could get their patches over the next three months.
"These findings show that a supply problem quickly becomes a patient health problem," said Dr. Kathleen Jordan, chief medical officer at Midi Health. "When women who have finally found relief are forced to ration or stop treatment, their symptoms return, and their sleep, work and well-being suffer. Women deserve a reliable supply of the therapies they've been prescribed, and that requires far greater transparency and stability in the pharmaceutical supply chain."
Brain fog, weight changes, and mood symptoms reported more often than hot flashes
The second study analyzed data from more than 320,000 Midi patients2 using a modified Menopause Rating Scale across nine symptom domains following a study of perimenopausal symptoms from specialized women's virtual care. The most commonly reported bothersome symptoms were brain fog and memory lapses (94.7%), weight and body changes (94.0%), moodiness, anxiety, and depression (93.2%), and trouble sleeping (91.8%). Hot flashes and night sweats were reported by 80.8%. 81.4% reported improvement in hot flashes and night sweats, followed by period problems (72%) and sleep problems (71.2%). Across all symptoms, the majority of patients reported improvement in severity over time, and 95.3% improved in at least one bothersome symptom.
"Most conversations about menopause focus on hot flashes, but this data shows that's only part of what some women may be experiencing," said Dr. Mindy Goldman, chief clinical officer at Midi Health. "Brain fog, weight changes, and mood symptoms were reported even more often, and treating vasomotor symptoms can also benefit sleep, mood, and quality of life. It's particularly meaningful to see improvements across such a broad range of symptoms when women receive care from clinicians with expertise in midlife health."
These studies highlight a clear imperative: women need reliable access to both essential medications and expert care for the full range of midlife symptoms. Through its virtual care model, Midi Health effectively manages these diverse needs at scale, recently surpassing 500,000 women treated. By turning this real-world clinical experience into peer-reviewed data, Midi continues its core mission to close long-standing research gaps and elevate the standard of care for all women.
About Midi Health
Midi Health is a specialized virtual care platform dedicated to modernizing women's healthcare. The nation's fastest-growing women's telehealth company, Midi combines medical expertise, purpose-built AI, and compassionate care to deliver personalized treatment plans for every stage of a woman's health journey. Covered by most major insurance plans in all 50 states, Midi is building on its leadership in perimenopause and menopause care to fill the critical health gaps women face at every age.
1 7,281 of 71,385 invited subscribers responded (10%) from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
2 Patients came from all 50 states, and 84.2% were between the ages of 40 and 59.
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SOURCE Midi Health
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