Menopause
Lecturer launches first menopause app for Spanish speakers
A Barcelona-based lecturer has launched the first menopause app for Spanish-speaking women.
Talia Leibovitz, a course instructor at the Faculty of Information and Communication Sciences of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, has created Kala after spotting a gap in the digital health market.
The entrepreneur realised that although many women in Spain and Latin America were struggling with menopause, there was no Spanish-language app that provided resources and support.
This was a significant gap taking into account that in Spain alone there are more than five and a half million women between 45 and 60 years old.
“Menopause is often shrouded in stigma and silence,” said Leibovitz. “Many women feel ashamed or uncomfortable talking openly about their experiences, which leads to feelings of isolation and inadequacy.
“With Kala, we wanted to break down these barriers and encourage open and honest conversations about menopause.”
The app, one of the eight finalist projects in the university’s annual entrepreneurship programme, aims to support women by providing educational resources, offering tools to control and monitor symptoms, analysing the evolution and progression of menopause and helping users connect with each other.
It features a journal to help women track and record emotions, as well as guided meditations to help them manage stress, anxiety and other emotional symptoms associated with menopause.
“Kala aims to support all women in relation to the symptoms, stages or treatments,” explained Leibovitz.
“We use a comprehensive approach to ensure that women have access to all the necessary information, a space to share questions and experiences, tools to control and monitor symptoms and an analysis of the evolution and progression of menopause so that they can find solutions adapted to their own individual needs. Personalisation is a key aspect of our proposal.”
The goal, according to Leibovitz, is to “empower” women and combat the taboos and stigma around menopause.
“Menopause isn’t just a women’s issue: it’s a social reality that addresses broader issues of gender equality and rights. Historically, women’s health issues, including menopause, have been marginalised or ignored, reflecting broader disparities in healthcare access and treatment.
“Through Kala, we advocate for gender equality by raising awareness of the unique challenges faced by menopausal women and advocating for policies and practices that promote equitable access to healthcare and support,” she said.
“By equipping women with information about their bodies, symptoms and available treatment options, we empower them to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.”
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A new free menopause toolkit has been launched to help UK employers respond better to menopause at work, improve wellbeing and retain experienced staff.
Wellbeing of Women has launched MENO-Kit in partnership with Lancaster University, which it describes as the UK’s first evidence-based menopause workplace toolkit.
The online resource translates more than a decade of academic research into practical guidance for employers.
It is designed for managers, human resources and occupational health teams, equality, diversity and inclusion leads, trade unions and employees.
Its four modules cover menopause awareness, symptom management, menopause champion training and cognitive behavioural strategies.
These are techniques that help people spot and change thought or behaviour patterns that can make symptoms harder to manage.
Amanda Griffiths, emeritus professor of occupational health psychology at the University of Nottingham, said: “I am so pleased the Wellbeing of Women’s toolkit is now available.
“It presents the culmination of many years’ research by Claire Hardy, Myra Hunter and myself at our three universities.
“It’s a clear story: women represent nearly half the working population and menopause is a normal event in their lives.
“Those who experience difficulties appreciate understanding and support. And it’s not difficult to provide.
“I really hope that the next generation of working women, their colleagues and their managers will find the toolkit helpful.”
MENO-Kit was informed by research studies conducted by Lancaster University, the University of Nottingham and King’s College London.
This included the UK’s first large-scale study of women’s experience of menopause at work, carried out at the University of Nottingham, which identified fatigue, poor concentration, low mood and hot flushes as symptoms affecting working life.
It also highlighted the kinds of employer support working women said they would find helpful.
The toolkit has been tested in eight UK organisations across the public, private and charity sectors.
A total of 2,162 people, mostly women in their mid-40s and 50s, contributed across the studies.
The launch comes at a time of growing urgency for employers.
Research from McKinsey & Company highlights the economic opportunity of closing the women’s health gap, estimating it could unlock up to £11bn a year for the UK economy.
The NHS Confederation has also highlighted the economic case for investing in women’s health, linking better support to improved workforce retention and reduced pressure on employers and public services.
Alongside this, research has continued to show the impact of menopause at work.
Separate polling by Benenden Health found that 28 per cent of women had considered leaving work because of symptoms, while 31 per cent reported reduced productivity.
MENO-Kit has been developed to help organisations respond with practical, evidence-based tools that build confidence, reduce stigma, improve wellbeing and help retain experienced staff.
The launch is being marked by an online event featuring a keynote from the Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson, minister of state for employment, a live demonstration of MENO-Kit by Dr Abigail Morris, and a discussion on practical approaches to creating menopause-supportive workplaces.
Janet Lindsay, chief executive at Wellbeing of Women, said: “Too many women still struggle in silence during menopause at work, with many employers lacking the tools to respond effectively.
“MENO-Kit addresses this gap, offering practical, evidence-based ways for organisations to better support their people.
“It helps women stay working, thrive, and realise their potential at work.
“We’re hugely grateful to the research teams whose expertise has made this possible.”
Dr Abigail Morris, lecturer in workplace health and wellbeing at Lancaster University, said: “We’re delighted to launch Meno-Kit which represents an important step forward in supporting organisations across the UK to take a proactive and informed approach to menopause in the workplace.
“By providing practical tools, evidence-based guidance and a structured framework for action, the resource will help organisations develop effective menopause action plans, foster more inclusive and supportive workplace cultures, and better support women experiencing menopause to remain healthy, engaged and thriving at work.
“We believe Meno-Kit has the potential to drive meaningful organisational change while improving the everyday working lives and wellbeing of women across the UK workforce.”
Davina McCall, Wellbeing of Women ambassador, said: “Menopause shouldn’t be something women hide or struggle with alone at work or anywhere.
“It’s a normal life stage, not a personal failing.
“By talking about menopause openly and putting the right support in place, workplaces can make a huge difference to women’s wellbeing, confidence and careers enabling them to thrive at work.”
Women with primary infertility may face a higher risk of early menopause and reach it about a year earlier, a study suggests.
The findings suggest women with primary infertility may be more likely to enter menopause before the age of 45.
The increased risk appeared most notable among women with unexplained infertility or a history of endometriosis.
Dr Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society, said: “This study shows that women with primary infertility, specifically those with unexplained infertility or a history of endometriosis, were at risk for early menopause.
“Given that early menopause is linked to adverse long-term health consequences, these women may benefit from counselling that they are at risk of early menopause.
“This will allow them to monitor for early menopause and to seek treatment with hormone therapy, if indicated.”
Early menopause is usually defined as menopause before age 45, while premature menopause is menopause before age 40.
Women who experience menopause earlier may face symptoms for longer and have a higher risk of long-term health problems.
These can include cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and neurocognitive disorders. Osteoporosis weakens bones, while neurocognitive disorders affect memory, thinking or brain function.
The study, highlighted by The Menopause Society, involved nearly 700 people, roughly half of whom had been diagnosed with primary infertility.
It found that women with a history of primary infertility underwent natural menopause about one year earlier than those without such a history.
Researchers found no association between infertility and premature menopause.
Infertility affects around one in six people globally and can have consequences beyond family planning.
Previous research has linked infertility with higher rates of cancer and cardiovascular disease, although causes vary and may involve genetic, hormonal, in-utero or lifestyle factors.
In-utero factors are influences that occur while a baby is developing in the womb.
Earlier studies looking at links between infertility and early or premature menopause have produced mixed results, with some not accounting for different types of infertility.
The new study suggested that women with unexplained infertility or a history of endometriosis may have an increased risk of early menopause.
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body. It can cause pain, heavy periods and fertility problems.
Known risk factors for early or premature menopause include tobacco use, low body mass index, not having given birth and starting periods at a younger age.
Women who have had more childbirths and those with a history of oral contraceptive use have previously been linked to later menopause.
The researchers said women with primary infertility may benefit from additional counselling because of the systemic and long-term health effects of early menopause.
They also said women should be encouraged to seek evaluation and treatment if they experience a new loss of menstrual cycles.
Smartwatch data may help track menopause sleep changes after researchers analysed more than 94,000 nights of Apple Watch sleep records.
The study analysed more than 94,000 nights of sleep data from 338 participants in the Apple Women’s Health Study.
It found that many participants spent more time awake during the night in the 12 months before and after their final logged menstrual period.
For the past several years, Apple has used the Apple Watch to support large-scale health studies through the Apple Research app.
These include the Apple Women’s Health Study, the Apple Heart and Movement Study, and the Apple Hearing Study, which launched in 2019 with research partners including Harvard, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the American Heart Association and the University of Michigan.
In February 2025, Apple said those studies had grown to more than 350,000 participants across the US.
Recently, researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published results on how sleep patterns change during perimenopause.
The study looked at wake after sleep onset, or WASO, which measures how much time a person spends awake after first falling asleep.
In the 18 months leading up to menopause, 60 per cent of women with sleep tracking data showed increased WASO compared with the previous six months.
The average increase was 7 per cent.
Researchers also found that, in the 12 months before and after the last logged menstrual period, participants spent about 0.8 per cent more of their sleep time awake after menopause than before.
However, the findings varied widely between participants.
Some women had much larger increases in time awake after menopause, while others had no meaningful sleep change at all.
The researchers said this reflects the fact that each person experiences perimenopause and menopause differently.
Participants who tracked sleep also logged menopause symptoms.
Hot flushes were reported by 82.3 per cent of participants, irritability by 68.1 per cent, mental exhaustion by 65.7 per cent and sexual symptoms by 65.6 per cent.
Among participants with more severe menopause symptoms, the symptoms most closely linked with worse sleep were bladder symptoms, joint symptoms, heart discomfort and depressive symptoms.
The researchers also shared recommendations that may help women sleep better during perimenopause.
These include maintaining a cool sleeping environment, keeping a consistent sleep schedule, getting regular movement, avoiding common bladder irritants and limiting fluids in the hours before bedtime, and prioritising relaxation or mindfulness techniques as part of a bedtime routine.
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