Menopause Unmuted

Menopause is everywhere – especially if you’re on social media and a woman “of a certain age” (don’t get me started). Facebook is full of miracle cures for symptoms, from green liquids to gummy sweets in untrustworthy colours and with even dodgier claims.

When I started campaigning, almost seven years ago, it was nearly impossible to find helpful resources. There was the odd supplement on a bottom shelf and books were a total rarity; my local library and Waterstones each had precisely… none. (I counted. Twice.)

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Today, thankfully, menopause is much more visible. Campaigners, journalists, celebrities and doctors have broken the silence. Now, supplements, lifestyle programs and menopause coaches are everywhere you look.

Cards on the table: I know several of the people behind these products and ideas. I’ve tried out different products, promoted companies like 51 Apparel (they make brilliant moisture-wicking clothes) and written about supplements that might genuinely help. Some menopause coaches and influencers have become e-friends and events like Henpicked’s Menopause Friendly Employer Awards – a fantastic celebration of those making workplaces more welcoming – are truly uplifting.

A growing community – and a growing industry

But in those early days, my Spidey-Sense only tingled once or twice if I thought someone was more interested in money than menopause. Now? It’s tingling a lot more. Menopause awareness has spawned a menopause industry and I worry that profit-driven agendas sometimes overshadow genuine advocacy and healthcare.

So, I was pleased to see Kirsty Wark tackling this in BBC Panorama: The Menopause Industry Uncovered. The programme highlighted how menopause has become big business, with pharmaceutical companies, wellness brands and influencers joining the conversation. But it also showed how the line between advocacy and product placement can blur, leaving us wondering whether some are empowering women or just promoting their latest brand partnership.

Most of the 30-minute programme (which wasn’t nearly enough to dig deeply into this topic) focused on Dr Louise Newson, a private GP and prominent menopause advocate. Her Newson Health clinics are known for their focus on HRT.

Full disclosure: I’ve campaigned at the same time as Dr Newson and watched her rise in prominence. She was one of the first to champion HRT after the scares and misinformation stirred up by the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) report and she’s been a valuable voice against menopause misdiagnosis and the medical gaslighting so many women face. It’s also fair to say she’s part of why I’m on HRT today. With a family history of breast cancer, I’d always been cautious, but her advocacy (plus a chance consultation with Dr Haitham Hamoda for a BBC programme) pushed me to fight for the right kind of HRT for me.

That doesn’t mean I agree with all her views or practices. For example, I don’t believe in calling menopause an “oestrogen deficiency”. Our hormones rise at puberty to support fertility then start fading when we run out of eggs. It’s not a flaw; it’s a natural process – not an easy one at times, I know, because the hormones often have a disco on the way, but still natural.

And despite claims that menopause is a “new” issue because women now live longer, it’s not new at all. Women in Ancient Greece often lived into their 80s or 90s. What’s changed is life expectancy: we’re more likely to reach menopause now thanks to advances that help us survive birth, childbirth and illness, things that once limited lifespan.

The heart of the problem: a healthcare gap

Finally, no-one can convince me that menopause care should come with a £300 price tag to see a doctor. It goes against all I stand for. Now I know Newson Health uses some of its profits for research and to provide free resources, such as the Balance app, and that’s brilliant. But I don’t believe women should be paying for an appointment that most likely ends up with: “You need HRT.” HRT is the recommended first-line approach for menopause symptoms. You don’t need to pay hundreds to be told that.

But there’s the rub – and the key to how we’ve ended up in this situation. NHS waiting lists, a lack of research and minimal GP training (sometimes no more than 20-30 minutes) mean women struggle to find factual, evidence-based advice. And when you’re at your wit’s end, desperate and exhausted, you’ll pay for anything and you’ll try anything and to hell with the risk.

Panorama only scratched the surface here. The real scandal isn’t just commercialisation; it’s the gaping holes in our healthcare system, which leave women suffering without options. Until these barriers come down, women will be left in limbo, forced to go private or buy the dodgy-coloured gummy sweets.

It’s time for the NHS and our politicians to address this treatment gap so women can find trustworthy support without facing exploitation.

Main image: Kirsty Wark in Panorama: The Menopause Industry Uncovered