Women are being exploited by a ‘menopause gold rush’ as a lack of official guidance allows firms to cash-in on their anxieties, a study warns.
This ‘dearth’ of information on symptoms and treatments is being filled by private companies and social media content creators who see menopausal women as a ‘lucrative market’, experts say.
They are now calling for a national education programme after their research revealed a significant number of women lack knowledge on the issue, with some reliant on sources that spread ‘misinformation’.
A survey of more than 1,500 women with an average age of 50 found 77 per cent consider themselves ‘somewhat informed’ or ‘not informed’ about menopause.
Writing in the journal Post Reproductive Health, experts from University College London, wrote: ‘There has been a rapid expansion in unregulated private companies and individuals providing menopause information and support for profit; this has been termed the ‘menopause gold rush’.
‘This fragmented landscape of menopause support and education leaves people vulnerable to financial exploitation, may propagate misinformation and is likely to amplify existing menopause-related health inequities.’
One woman who took part in the study told researchers: ‘Everything I know about the menopause I learnt on Instagram from other women.’
Another said: ‘I only feel informed now because of the Facebook support groups I have joined.’
Just 22 per cent reported feeling well-informed about menopause; 21 per cent said they are not at all informed and 57 per cent said they are ‘somewhat’ informed.
Nine in ten of the women surveyed as part of the study said a national education and support programme was needed.
The preference would be for such a service to be delivered in person or online in weekly sessions over two to four weeks, researchers found.
Those surveyed said key to acceptability and success of such a programme would be that the information provided is accessible, accurate and based on the latest scientific evidence.
It would also help by ‘myth busting’.
UCL researchers are developing a programme, which they have called InTune, which delivers two programmes, one in preparation for menopause and one to support those currently experiencing symptoms.
These can include physical symptoms such as hot flushes, palpitations and difficulty sleeping, and mental symptoms including brain fog and mood changes.
They said the findings from the survey would help to refine the programme.
They called on ministers to roll out a national programme to help improve knowledge among the estimated 13 million women who are peri or post-menopause in the UK at any one time.
Professor Joyce Harper, lead author of the study at UCL’s Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute for Women’s Health, said: ‘While public awareness of menopause has greatly improved recently, there has been a rapid expansion in private companies and individuals providing menopause education, especially on social media, which has led to misinformation which can make existing menopause-related health inequities worse.
‘We have a menopause gold rush because companies, investors and people see menopause as a lucrative market.
‘There remains a dearth of evidence-based, theoretically informed and rigorously evaluated public health programmes targeting individuals around the time of menopause and immediately afterwards.
‘Hence our proposal for a new a national programme of menopause education and support which we hope will be funded by the Government.’
Senior author Dr Shema Tariq, from UCL’s Institute for Global Health, added: ‘Although menopause is a natural hormonal and social shift, without evidence-based information and support it can be a challenging time for people.
‘Menopause often comes at a ‘crunch point’ in our lives – we may be juggling multiple caring roles as well as the demands of work, and potential impacts on our self-esteem and relationships.
‘We believe that everyone should be entitled to accurate information and support networks, free of charge, so they are better able to navigate this stage of life.’