2025: The Year Menopause Was Finally Taken Seriously — What Comes Next

The menopause conversation has shifted dramatically over the past few years and 2025 was marked by some significant developments in this field.

What was once whispered about behind closed doors or not mentioned in public spaces, is now being discussed in parliaments around the world, regulatory agencies, workplaces, clinics, podcasts and dinner tables.

But this year wasn’t just about more awareness (did you miss the “I Do Not Care Club” revolution?), but about something deeper.

This was the year of regulatory reconsiderations, bringing menopause conversations out into the open and a deeper understanding of menopause as a critical life transition with profound implications not only to women’s health but all areas of their life.

Below I share a summary of some of the major highlights in the global menopause space in 2025.

Three big stories this year came around the hormones conversation.

The FDA removed the long‑standing “black box” warnings from menopause hormone therapies. This wasn’t just a minor labeling change — it represented a public acknowledgment that the presumed cancer risks of HRT no longer reflected current evidence.

2025 also exposed how uneven and gendered hormone access remains — particularly when it comes to testosterone for women.

At the end of this year, the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) — the expert panel that advises the Australian Government on which medicines should be subsidised on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) — decided not to recommend including the only TGA-approved female testosterone product (AndroFeme®)

In the US and most of Europe, there are still no female‑specific testosterone products approved, leaving women reliant on adapted dosage of men’s products, off‑label prescribing or compounded formulations.

In sharp contrast, in the UK, the first licensed testosterone product for women received regulatory approval, a milestone moment, but access remains largely private, with no widespread NHS funding.

The non-hormonal therapy elinzanetant (brand name Lynkuet) — a neurokinin receptor antagonist for hot flashes — received EU marketing approval in late 2025 following approval in the US in October this year. This product expands non-hormonal treatment options for hot flashes and night sweats.

Other milestones this year include:

• In October 2025 the UK Government announced that menopause will be included in routine NHS Health Checks for the first time for people aged 40–74 in England. Standard health checks are recommended every 5 years for this demographic and will involve adding menopause-related questions to the existing NHS Health Check. These checks will capture menopausal symptoms and patterns enabling earlier identification and support.

• Despite growing mainstream menopause awareness, it is clear there is still a lack of really good menopause research. Several professional societies and consensus statements continue to highlight the lack of robust, large-scale randomized controlled trials.

We need a lot more money pumped into this field so we can really see how menopause impacts women, assess how symptoms respond to different treatment options, and how menopause impacts aging.

One interesting research of note was a comprehensive systematic review published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity — led by UCL researchers and commissioned by the World Health Organization — found no evidence that menopause hormone therapy (HRT) increases or decreases dementia risk.

Many people have latched onto the “does not increase dementia risk” piece of the research but we need to remember to stay intellectually honest with research and talk about all the fining not just those that we find favourable.

• Menopause Societies, parliamentary panels and other recognized groups developed new or update guidelines for menopause care. For example, the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) published a new clinical practice guideline on menopause and perimenopause management, supported by endocrinology and menopause societies, aiming to standardize assessment, treatment options (hormonal & non-hormonal), and broader care pathways.

• Another major shift in 2025 was the formal recognition of menopause as a workplace and economic issue.

Research demonstrates what many women already know: unmanaged menopause symptoms impact productivity, confidence, income, and career longevity. Employers began responding with structured menopause policies including flexible working, manager training, and dedicated health benefits.

• Menopause inequality exists and is not getting better. Women from marginalized backgrounds, rural areas, and minority communities consistently reported delayed diagnosis, dismissal of symptoms, and lack of evidence‑based care. These findings pushed equity to the forefront of menopause advocacy, highlighting the need for culturally competent education, better clinician training, and inclusive policy design.

  
  

• As awareness of menopause has grown, so has the industry around it. Menopause has firmly entered mainstream media but with that visibility came tension and criticism.

Major beauty retailers like Ulta Beauty and Sephora have jumped on the menopause band-wagon selling products designed for hair, skin, vaginal health, cooling products and more.  A huge array of supplements, cooling wearables, skincare, hormone-free remedies, teas, and lifestyle products targeting every symptom from hot flashes to mood changes.

While some influencers genuinely educate, others may promote products with little clinical evidence or paid promotions disguised as lived experience, which can mislead audiences and make it harder to distinguish empowerment content from selling content.  

Hollywood stars are not far behind promoting menopause products, supplements, testing kits, and quick‑fix solutions.

Looking Ahead, what is 2026 Likely to Bring?

Menopause Care Will Become a Public Health Issue — Not a Niche Interest

Countries are beginning to act on the evidence that untreated menopause has real health and economic costs. We will continue to see policy & health system changes and several countries (e.g. Ireland) implementing or expanding government-supported access to hormone therapies.

As more health-care practitioners realise they need to be menopause informed, we will see a growth in the relevance of Menopause societies, their updated clinical guidelines, training programs and patient education materials.

Workplace Menopause Support will become standard practice, with menopause policies likely to move from being “progressive extras” to baseline expectations — much like mental health support. Women won’t have to justify their needs or feel unsupported, workplace systems will be designed to meet them where they are with their menopause experience.

FemTech and AI guided women’s health platforms will set the stage for personalised menopause care, not just symptom logging. We will see a growth in AI-assisted digital health tools tailored specifically to women’s hormonal transitions and an integration of these platforms with clinical support, meaning data collect at home will begin to influence care decisions with providers.

But perhaps the most important shift for 2026 will be cultural.

Menopause is increasingly being framed not as a problem to fix, but as a profound life transition — one that intersects with identity, purpose, AND health.

We’re stepping into an era where menopause care becomes integrated, evidence-led, and holistic — moving beyond symptom management to lifelong health support, systemic policy recognition, workplace integration, and personalisation. Women will have more access, better information and a stronger voice in shaping their care than ever before.

If 2025 was the year that menopause was finally taken seriously, 2026 may be the year that meaningful and informed support finally becomes available for women everywhere.

I hope that in 2026, the conversation will continue moving away from a fear-based, shame and symptom-focused approach toward clarity, education, empowerment and

choice.

The work now is to ensure that momentum turns into lasting change.

Jacqueline Rose is a Menopause Educator and Coach, founder of the Menopause Informed Training Program for Practitioners and host of the Things I want my Daughters to Know Podcast.