It’s time to educate women on all aspects of menopause and give them the support they need with the the UK menopause education and support programme.
I have surveyed over 6,000 women about their views on perimenopause and menopause. Very few reported feeling fully informed about menopause before their symptoms began. In fact, more than 60% said they started searching for information only after experiencing symptoms and 17% long after symptoms started. Negative perceptions of menopause dominated my studies, and the findings highlight a significant gap in education. This lack of awareness means women are entering this critical life stage unprepared and unsupported, often not understanding what the symptoms are or how they can be treated.
UK Menopause Education
Last year, I conducted focus groups with perimenopausal women to discuss their experiences with their periods. Most expressed that the unpredictability of their changing cycles was difficult to manage, and many said that their periods became heavier. An increase in premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms was also a common concern among participants.
My research has also shown that women often lack support from their workplaces and GPs. However, many find comfort and guidance from friends who are also going through menopause.
The participants in my studies overwhelmingly said they wished they had received education about menopause during their school years. The UK is in a unique position, having included menopause education in the national curriculum since 2019. Yet, in my survey of teenagers in English schools, only 10% said they had been taught about menopause. Interestingly, over 40% of these teens had searched for information on menopause outside of school—they want to learn.
This is why it has been so important to collaborate with incredible colleagues at University College London to create InTune – a programme of menopause education and support for all. We want women to be InTune with their menopause, InTune with their bodies and InTune with each other.
I have been creating educational resources for many years, and one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that we can’t simply sit in our offices and decide what we think people need to know. Instead, we must co-design educational tools with the target audience to ensure they are truly fit for purpose. Listening to the audience is essential. Resources must be inclusive and adaptable to the diverse needs of different cultures, sexual orientations, genders, learning abilities, neurodivergent individuals, and people with various health conditions. This requires delivering information in different ways and offering different types of support. While this makes our task challenging, it is not impossible.
Equally important is demonstrating that any educational resource actually achieves what it promises. If we claim that a resource will improve health literacy, enhance quality of life, or reduce visits to healthcare professionals, we must be able to prove it.
I’m fortunate to work with an incredible team to develop InTune: Dr. Shema Tariq (UCL Institute for Global Health), who has extensive experience working with women living with HIV and has done tremendous work helping these women navigate menopause; Dr. Nicky Keay (UCL Medicine), who recently published The Myths of Menopause; and Florrie Rowe and Polly Van Alstyne, who complete our team. We’ve partnered with Wellbeing of Women and Sophia Forum, with the support of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the British Menopause Society (BMS).
Over the past year, we’ve listened closely through focus groups, workshops, and surveys. We’ve heard from many voices, and we will continue to listen. Based on this feedback, we are developing two programmes. The first is Be Prepared for Menopause, aimed at everyone, but particularly women under 40. This programme will cover the basics of menopause—symptoms, diagnosis, treatments, lifestyle considerations, and life after menopause. It consists of short videos featuring leading experts in menopause, alongside ample time for audience discussion. The goal is to help women recognize when they’re entering perimenopause, and if they’re experiencing symptoms or need support, they can then attend the second programme.
The second programme is a deeper, six-week Perimenopause Programme that provides more comprehensive education and support in a peer-group setting. This approach allows women to connect with others going through similar experiences and gain a more profound understanding of the changes happening in their bodies.
We hope that InTune will help women better understand what is happening to their bodies and provide support by connecting them with others going through menopause.
There is a lot of misinformation out there about menopause and treatments. We want to ensure that everyone has access to evidence-based education, so they can make informed decisions about their menopause health.
Shema said: “An important component of this programme will be peer support. Research consistently shows that support from people experiencing similar things to yourself (for instance pregnancy, mental health issues and other health conditions) improves understanding of health conditions or experiences, empowers people to manage their conditions or life experiences, and improves the ability to cope. Research I have conducted with women living with HIV has highlighted the need and strong desire for peer support around menopause.”
Janet Lindsay, CEO of Wellbeing of Women, said: “We’re thrilled to be part of this exciting new project to improve menopause education, and we welcome the research approach of co-designing with the voices of women affected. “Every woman deserves access to high-quality information and menopause support, yet as research from Professor Harper shows, too many women haven’t been given the knowledge they desperately need and deserve. We hope this work will empower a generation of women to understand the changes to their bodies during menopause and access help to manage their symptoms.”
This cannot be done properly overnight. But we will do it.
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