Millions Exploited By ‘menopause Gold Rush’ Amid Lack Of Reliable Information, Say Experts

Millions of women are being exploited by a “menopause golden rush” arsenic companies, celebrities and influencers return advantage of a “dearth” of reliable accusation connected nan issue, experts person said.

Healthcare companies and contented creators saw menopause arsenic a “lucrative market” and were trying to profit from gaps successful nationalist knowledge, women’s wellness academics astatine UCL said.

Researchers called for nan rollout of a nationalist acquisition programme aft uncovering a important number of women do not consciousness well-informed astir menopause.

Writing successful aesculapian diary Post Reproductive Health, they said: “There has been a accelerated description successful unregulated backstage companies and individuals providing menopause accusation and support for profit; this has been termed nan ‘menopause golden rush’.

“This fragmented scenery of menopause support and acquisition leaves group susceptible to financial exploitation, whitethorn propagate misinformation and is apt to amplify existing menopause-related wellness inequities.”

One female who took portion successful nan study told researchers: “Everything I cognize astir nan menopause I learnt connected Instagram from different women.” Only 1 successful 5 – 22% – of 1,500 women surveyed by nan UCL squad felt well-informed astir menopause.

Nine successful 10 women surveyed said an acquisition and support programme was needed. The penchant would beryllium a work to beryllium delivered successful personification aliases online successful play sessions complete 2 to 4 weeks, they told researchers.

Those surveyed said nan acceptability and occurrence of specified a programme would beryllium limited connected it being accessible, meticulous and based connected nan latest technological evidence. It would besides thief pinch “myth busting”.

The UCL squad has begun processing a training programme that could thief women hole for menopause and support those experiencing symptoms. These tin see physical symptoms specified arsenic basking flushes, palpitations and trouble sleeping, and intelligence symptoms including encephalon fog and temper changes.

The lead writer of nan study, Prof Joyce Harper, from UCL’s Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute for Women’s Health, said: “We person a menopause golden unreserved because companies, investors and group spot menopause arsenic a lucrative market.

“While public consciousness of menopause has greatly improved recently, location has been a accelerated description successful backstage companies and individuals providing menopause education, particularly connected societal media, which has led to misinformation which tin make existing menopause-related wellness inequities worse.

“There remains a dearth of evidence-based, theoretically informed and rigorously evaluated nationalist wellness programmes targeting individuals astir nan clip of menopause and instantly afterwards. Hence our connection for a caller nationalist programme of menopause acquisition and support, which we dream will beryllium funded by nan government.”

The elder study writer Dr Shema Tariq, of UCL’s Institute for Global Health, said: “Although menopause is simply a earthy hormonal and societal shift, without evidence-based accusation and support it tin beryllium a challenging clip for people. Menopause often comes astatine a ‘crunch point’ successful our lives – we whitethorn beryllium juggling aggregate caring roles arsenic good arsenic nan demands of work, and imaginable impacts connected our self-esteem and relationships.

“We judge that everyone should beryllium entitled to meticulous accusation and support networks, free of charge, truthful they are amended capable to navigate this shape of life.”