World Menopause Day
World Menopause Day is led by the International Menopause Society and held annually on 18 October. It is intended to raise awareness of the menopause and to support options to improve health and well-being.
The theme for World Menopause Day 2025 is Lifestyle Medicine.
What is the menopause?Menopause affects anyone who has periods, including women, trans men and non-binary people who menstruate, when their periods stop and they are no longer able to become pregnant naturally. It happens when there is a change in the sex hormones as women and other people who menstruate get older. The ovaries stop producing the hormone oestrogen and no longer produce an egg each month. It usually affects women between the ages of 45 and 55 but it can happen earlier.
The process of menopause is usually gradual. Although symptoms may go on for a number of years, menopause is said to have taken place when a person who menstruates has not had a period for 12 months. The transition phase before menopause – when periods become irregular – is often referred to as ‘perimenopause’.
Further information about menopause can be found on the NHS website.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on Menopause: diagnosis and management recommends a range of treatment options for menopausal symptoms. NICE guidelines were last updated in November 2024.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)HRT helps to relieve menopause symptoms by replacing oestrogen levels that naturally fall during the menopause and offers protection against bone loss and fractures. HRT is included in the range of treatment options recommended by NICE guidance and is the most commonly prescribed treatment.
NICE has produced a discussion aid on HRT and the likelihood of some medical conditions (PDF), such as breast cancer.
Concerns have been raised about UK-wide shortages of some HRT products. The Library briefing on Medicines shortages (September 2025) explains in further detail the causes and consequences of medicines shortages, and UK Government actions in response to supply disruption affecting human medicines, including HRT.
Lifestyle medicineLifestyle medicine uses evidence-based lifestyle interventions to prevent and manage chronic conditions. It often involves “6 pillars” – healthy eating, physical activity, mental well-being, avoidance of risky substances, sleep and minimising harmful substances and behaviours.
An academic systematic review published in the journal Climacteric in September 2025 found there is a growing body of evidence supporting lifestyle medicine as a strategy to improve menopause symptoms, reduce chronic disease risks and enhance quality of life. The review concluded:
Lifestyle medicine offers a foundational, evidence-based framework for equitable menopause care. Integrating these strategies into clinical guidelines and public health policy can improve quality of care, empower women to manage their health and reduce disparities in access.
Government activity around lifestyle medicine and menopauseThe NHS webpage on menopause provides information and advice for women on lifestyle changes that can help with menopause and perimenopause symptoms, including eating well, exercising and looking after mental wellbeing.
NHS England has also developed a self-care fact sheet that includes advice on managing menopause symptoms.
One treatment option recommended by NICE is menopause-specific cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT is a type of talking therapy that can help with a low mood, anxiety and sleep problems.
The government is establishing at least one pilot women’s health hub in every integrated care system, for which it had said “menopause care is a core service”. The government has said that as of March 2025, 41 of the 42 integrated care boards in England reported to NHS England that they had a women’s health hub.
Further reading Parliamentary questions16 September 2025 | UIN 75874
Asked by: Helen Maguire
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure clearer support pathways for women experiencing the menopause.
Answering member: Karin Smyth | Department of Health and Social Care
The Government recognises that women suffering from symptoms of menopause have been failed for far too long, and we acknowledge the impact it has on women’s lives, relationships and participation in the workplace.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published their updated guideline on 7 November 2024 and recommended more treatment choices for menopause symptoms.
Women’s health hubs are an effective model for improving access to and experiences of care for women and include menopause as an essential service. That is why the hub in Tower Hamlets was included in the 10 Year Health Plan as a best practice example to guide the shift to neighbourhood health. As of March 2025, 41 of the 42 integrated care boards in England reported to NHS England that they had a women’s health hub.
19 May 2025 | UIN 52168
Asked by: Ayoub Khan
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that employers are supporting women managing menopause in the workplace.
Answering member: Alison McGovern | Department for Work and Pensions
On 18th October 2024 the Secretary of State for DWP appointed Mariella Frostrup as the new Menopause Employment Ambassador. The Menopause Employment Ambassador will work closely with employers across the country to improve workplace support for women experiencing menopause and wider women’s health issues. The Menopause Employment Ambassador launched her Menopause Advisory Group on 24th April who will provide her with expert knowledge from a wide range of sectors on how businesses can better support women experiencing menopause in the workplace by creating a more supportive environment that helps women to stay in work and progress.
The government has also proposed a wide-ranging set of generational reforms to boost protections for workers, including women experiencing menopause symptoms at work. The policy proposals in the Employment Rights Bill would require large employers with more than 250 employees to produce Menopause Action Plans on how they will support employees through the menopause. Alongside this the government has also committed to publishing guidance, including for small employers, on measures to consider relating to uniform and temperature, flexible working and recording menopause-related leave and absence.
DebatesEndometriosis: Women in the Workplace
15 January 2025 | House of Commons Chamber | 760 cc447-455
26 October 2023 | House of Commons Chamber | 738 cc975-992
27 October 2022 | Westminster Hall | 721 cc223WH-246WH
Research, reports and press releases- Department for Work and Pensions and the Government Social Research Profession, Menopause in the Workplace Literature Review, 17 July 2025
- House of Commons Library, Women’s health, 7 March 2025
- The King’s Fund, Can NHS digitalisation improve women’s health?, 27 January 2025
- NHS Confederation, The economic case for investing in women’s health services revealed, 2 October 2024
- Government Office for Science, Menopause and workplace productivity, 20 August 2024
- Department for Work and Pensions, Shattering the Silence about Menopause: 12-Month Progress Report, 8 March 2024
- House of Lords Library, International Women’s Day 2024: Economic inclusion of women, 23 February 2024
- Women and Equalities Committee, Women being let down by “glacial” Government progress on menopause, 24 January 2023