Night sweats and rage: Alaskans navigate gaps in menopause care

Jen Gessert stands outside at her house in Anchorage on Aug. 17, 2026. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media)
Most of Jen Gessert’s initial symptoms were relatively mild.
“It was mostly sleep disturbance, and I call it ‘sweat the bed’ when you just wake up in a drenched bed,” Gessert said. “And I’m like, ‘I don’t know, I guess it just happens.'”
Gessert is in perimenopause, the period that leads up to menopause that can last from a few mon