The Menopause Knowledge Gap

Over half of the UK’s population - totalling 34 million - are affected by the menopause.

And yet, over one in four women, and almost two in three men know “not very much” or “nothing at all” about it, according to a 2021 YouGov poll of 2970 adults in Great Britain.

Lack of education can lead to feelings of isolation and anxiety, accidental misdiagnoses and an exodus of healthy women from the workplace. Charities are stepping in to plug the gap, but so are people spewing misinformation.

These are the words of Nina Kuypers, founder of Black Women in Menopause.

When she became menopausal, she experienced vasomotor symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats, along with other common menopausal changes including fatigue, joint pain, and alterations to her skin and hair.

But seeking information online was difficult.

“The resources I found didn’t reflect my reality as a Black woman", said Kuypers.

"The dominant narratives were overwhelmingly white, and the few platforms that did feature Black women often felt tokenistic or superficial”, she added.

For those seeking information online, resources can be scarce or misleading.

A 2023 paper from the British Journal of General Practice notes that UK research exploring the menopausal experiences of ethnic minority women is limited and “largely confined to journalism, charities, and advocacy blogs from women in the ethnic minority community.”

The NHS cites the average age of menopause onset as 51 in the UK.

For Black women, the average age is closer to 49.6, and for Indian and Pakistani women, the average age is lower still, at 46.7 and 47.2, respectively.

The naming of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), a popular treatment prescribed for menopausal symptoms in the UK, is also confusing for many.

Joyce Harper, Professor of Reproductive Science at University College London, finds the term misleading on two fronts: first, it implies that hormones are being ‘replaced’ in the body, which is not the case, unless one is going through early menopause.

Second, it is a confusing term for people undergoing hormonal gender transition, as the terms are not clearly distinguished. 

Many experts, therefore, would like to see the term changed to Menopausal Hormone Therapy.

A sense of confusion and lack of understanding is not confined to the general public.

Findings from a 2022 report by the Women's Rights charity Fawcett Society suggest some medical practitioners are also undereducated concerning menopause.

They found that 31% of women agreed or strongly agreed that it took many appointments for their GP to realise they were experiencing the menopause or perimenopause, rising to 45% among Black and minoritised women and 42% among women with five or more severe symptoms.

Schools in the UK added menopause to the curriculum in 2019 and the 2024 Employment Rights Bill required workplaces to produce action plans for supporting people going through the menopause. In April 2025, the government created the first-ever Menopause Advisory Board to support menopause provision in the workplace.

Progress is not shared equitably, however. Kuypers said: “Dominant narratives continue to centre white, often middle-class women, leaving the rest of us to navigate this transition in silence.”

“If only one group is studied or represented, others may receive inadequate or inappropriate care”, she added.

Medical research and public policy founded on a narrow understanding of menopause will fail to serve the whole population and increase systemic inequality.

But specialised research, culturally specific resources and more inclusive discussions will fight systemic inequality and help normalise a broader range of experiences, reducing stigma for everyone.