Menopause
Nearly three-quarters of UK women unaware menopause can trigger new mental illness
Nearly three-quarters of UK women do not realise menopause can trigger a new mental illness, new research has revealed.
The findings have prompted what is described as the first targeted position statement on menopause and mental health from a major UK medical body.
A YouGov poll found only 28 per cent of women know a new mental illness can be linked to menopause, while 93 per cent associate it with hot flushes and 76 per cent with reduced sex drive.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists, which commissioned the poll and represents more than 20,000 psychiatrists, said the lack of awareness means many women may not seek help or receive appropriate care.
Dr Lade Smith, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “Menopause can have a significant yet often overlooked impact on women’s mental health and wellbeing.
“Women account for 51 per cent of the population and all will experience menopause at some point.
“This is a societal issue for everyone. Simply put, we must do better.”
The report states that while anxiety and low mood are common during menopause because of hormonal changes, some women face a higher risk of more serious mental illness during perimenopause.
Women in this phase are more than twice as likely to develop bipolar disorder, a condition involving extreme shifts between elevated and depressed moods, and are 30 per cent more likely to develop clinical depression.
Hormonal and physical changes may also trigger eating disorders or cause a relapse, and suicide rates are higher among women of menopausal age.
Dr Cath Durkin, joint presidential lead for women and mental health at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “For women with or at risk of bipolar disorder, perimenopause may represent a period of particular clinical danger that has historically gone unrecognised.”
The report also noted that women with bipolar disorder who experienced postnatal depression or premenstrual mood symptoms were at higher risk of relapse of depression during menopause.
The report calls for health services and governments across all UK nations to improve care, introduce mandatory teaching on menopause and mental health in medical and psychiatric training, and ensure workplace menopause policies address its relationship with mental health.
It comes as a study from University College London published in the Post Reproductive Health journal found that 58 per cent of black women in the UK said they felt completely uninformed about menopause, with many describing the experience as “psychologically damaging”.
More than half, 53 per cent, reported anxiety, yet many said they were misdiagnosed with anxiety or depression rather than menopause when speaking to their GP. #
As a result, only 23 per cent took hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, a treatment that uses hormones to ease menopausal symptoms.
Janet Lindsay, chief executive of Wellbeing of Women, said: “For too long, women’s symptoms have been dismissed or misunderstood.
“We fully support the call for better awareness, joined-up care, better workplace support and policies, and more research that will help ensure women are listened to and supported through menopause.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “It’s unacceptable women are facing barriers to the care and support they need.
“We’re taking action, bringing a menopause question into NHS health checks, renewing the women’s health strategy, and investing an extra £688m in mental health services while recruiting 8,500 more mental health workers.
“Women now have access to a wider range of treatments alongside improved training for new doctors to help ensure faster diagnosis and support.”
Brain fog in menopause is common but still poorly understood, with researchers calling for more work to explain the link and how best to support women.
For a new perspective article published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health, researchers based in the UK and Australia reviewed the evidence on menopause-related cognitive symptoms. They found that symptoms such as forgetfulness, reduced concentration and brain fog are common during the menopause transition, but are still poorly recognised and under-researched.
More than two-thirds of women report difficulties with memory or concentration over the menopause transition. Multiple factors may contribute to these cognitive symptoms, including hormonal changes, sleep disturbances and psychological and psychosocial stress. Yet, because cognitive symptoms are not widely discussed, they can cause considerable worry, with some fearing they are signs of dementia or undiagnosed neurodevelopmental conditions.
The review paper emphasises that overall cognitive performance for women experiencing menopause-related brain fog typically remains within expected ranges and, importantly, that cognitive symptoms are not linked to an increased risk of dementia.
Professor Aimee Spector of UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, co-author on the paper, said: “Cognitive symptoms such as forgetfulness and ‘brain fog’ are incredibly common during menopause, yet they are often overlooked. Our findings highlight just how complex menopause-related cognitive symptoms are, and how much we still don’t know about what drives them. More targeted research is essential if we are to identify which biological, psychological or lifestyle factors contribute most, and what types of support or treatment are likely to be effective.”
The authors argue that clinicians can play a key role in understanding and validating women’s experiences by asking about the duration of cognitive symptoms, impacts on day-to-day functioning and any other medical or psychosocial factors that could be contributing to cognitive symptoms.
The review also discusses a range of approaches that may ease cognitive symptoms, such as improving sleep quality, engaging in regular aerobic exercise and eating a balanced diet. There is also little but promising research into the impact of psychological therapies targeting cognitive symptoms, with a recent meta-analysis of three cognitive behavioural therapy-based studies showing significant improvements in memory and concentration. The evidence is more mixed for the benefits of hormone therapy on cognitive symptoms during menopause.
The authors identify cognitive symptoms as a major area of unmet need in menopause research. They call for a unified definition of menopause-related cognitive changes and for prospective, longitudinal studies that can track women from pre- to post-menopause. Better understanding of the biological, psychological and social factors that contribute to cognitive symptoms will be crucial for developing effective treatments.
Lead researcher Dr Caroline Gurvich of Monash University said: “There’s a lot of pressure to use objective measures of cognitive decline, like a memory test, for example, in a clinical trial, but the key symptom of brain fog is a subjective experience. So having a definition that acknowledges the key cognitive symptom is critical.”
This is not without precedent – we already use subjective or self-report measures for depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions with great success.
Dr Gurvich said the proposed definition would also validate women’s individual experiences while empowering them through the reassurance that any objective decline in their cognitive ability is subtle.
She added: “This is a decrease in cognitive or learning efficiency, not functionality or capacity. For many women, the perception they are losing capacity is what drives them to stop work or lose the confidence to live fulfilling lives during and after menopause. I hear all the time from women who have gone through menopause that validation would have made a significant difference to their resilience and the approach they took to living with menopause.”
Co-author Professor Martha Hickey of the University of Melbourne and Royal Women’s Hospital said: “Our analysis of the best available research shows that many women experience some degree of cognitive symptoms, such as brain fog, during the menopause transition.”
“But there’s a lack of long-term data, which means that there’s a gap in our knowledge about how the brain fog symptom develops and changes from peri-menopause to after menopause ends. It’s a real gap in our understanding.”
Professor Spector added: “We increasingly see women, typically at the peak of their careers, losing confidence in the workplace, often translating to leaving work or reducing work hours. Having simple strategies to support and retain them at work is also a broader economic issue.”
Mariella Frostrup has been appointed the government’s women’s employment ambassador, a new role to support working women across the UK.
The new role comes as the government steps up efforts to support women with menopause symptoms, with businesses being encouraged to publish action plans aimed at tackling the £1.7bn lost each year through sick days, lost productivity and women leaving the workforce because of menopause.
The women’s employment ambassador role expands the remit of the menopause employment ambassador post, which Mariella Frostrup held over the past year.
In that role, she oversaw the launch of the Menopause Advisory Group and discussions with hundreds of employers to improve workplace support for women experiencing menopause.
In the expanded role, Frostrup will work closely with employers across the country to raise awareness of key health issues affecting women at work and champion the economic contribution women make.
Experts from across sectors will be brought together to gather evidence, identify barriers and opportunities, and provide informed recommendations on supporting women’s health at work.
Frostrup said: “Menopause support in the workplace has come a long way, and that progress is something to be proud of, but it cannot be where our ambition stops.
“Women’s health affects their working lives long before menopause, and for too long many have been navigating these challenges without the right support around them.
“Every woman deserves to know, at every stage of her career, that her health will not be a barrier to her success.
“I am delighted to take on this role and look forward to working with employers across the country support their imperative female workforce and retain them.”
Many health conditions affect women long before they reach menopause, including endometriosis and fibroids, making it vital that support is available throughout their working lives to stop women dropping out of the workforce for good.
This comes as part of the government’s drive to reverse the rise in the number of women who are economically inactive because of long-term sickness, which has hit a near-record high of 1.48 million.
Large businesses with 250 or more employees are also being encouraged to produce and publish voluntary action plans setting out how they will support employees experiencing menopause symptoms in the workplace.
Companies will be asked to commit to at least one action to support employees experiencing menopause, such as setting up support groups, tailored workplace adjustments including alternative uniforms, and more.
Dame Diana Johnson, minister for employment, said: “Too many women still face barriers that prevent them from reaching their full potential in the workplace.
“This new ambassador role sends a clear signal that we are serious about changing that, and Mariella Frostrup is the ideal person to take this on.
“By championing the brilliant contributions women make – as entrepreneurs, workers, and leaders – we can unlock economic growth that benefits everyone.”
The action plans are one part of the Employment Rights Act, which will boost employment and improve job security for more than 18 million workers and will benefit women balancing health, care responsibilities and careers.
Tracy Black, CBI chief commercial officer, said: “Businesses are committed to taking action to help women both stay and succeed in the workplace.”
“Awareness of the impact of menopausal symptoms at work is rising, leading to businesses taking a more pro-active approach to providing support. This is part of a wider trend of firms sharpening their focus on health and wellbeing.”
The women’s health ambassador, alongside the government’s renewal of the women’s health strategy, are working to make faster, more decisive progress on the health outcomes that matter most to women and girls across the country.
These measures, along with the new ambassador role, are intended to ensure employers are better equipped to support women and that women know how to access help throughout their career. Supporting women into work and throughout their career is a key part of the government’s commitment to Get Britain Working.
From spring 2026, employers with 250 or more employees will have the option to produce and publish a voluntary action plan alongside their gender pay gap.
A cooling bracelet for menopause relief is entering Ireland’s growing non-medical women’s health tech market.
The MyCelsius bracelet, worn like a wrist watch, entered the Irish market on 7 April 2026 and has been co-developed by Aonghus O’Donovan.
It works by cooling users’ wrists by 10C in under 10 seconds and is designed to reduce the discomfort of hot flushes.
Co-founders O’Donovan, 33, and Maxime Kryvian, 37, chief executive of the start-up cooling tech company, say it has an 80 per cent efficacy rate for women experiencing one of the most uncomfortable perimenopause and menopause symptoms.
O’Donovan spent three years researching the cooling bracelet, which lowers local skin temperature, helping the entire body feel cooler in moments of sudden heat.
The MyCelsius bracelet is a non-medical device and represents the culmination of three years of research and development.
The cooling system is claimed by O’Donovan to be five times more powerful than competitors’ devices.
O’Donovan said: “The wrist is one of the most thermally sensitive parts of your body and applying cold to it sends a signal to the hypothalamus (the body’s thermostat), to stop the sweating and flushing associated with a hot flush.”
“It uses advanced thermo-electric cooling to create a soothing, cold sensation directly onto the wrist.”
“By lowering local skin temperature, it helps the full body feel cooler in moments of sudden heat.”
It also works to counteract uncomfortable heat caused by hormonal changes or stress and anxiety.
Research in recent years has shown that almost four in 10 women in Ireland have considered quitting their jobs due to menopause symptoms.
Based in Bristol, England, O’Donovan studied mechanical engineering at the University of Limerick, which included a year in New York designing heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems for skyscrapers.
He went on to work at Dyson before moving into Formula 1 and aerospace engineering and has since applied design and thermodynamics principles to women’s health, working closely with hundreds of women to develop MyCelsius.
The bracelet has five different modes, including a night-time setting to prevent heat-induced sleep disruption.
MyCelsius worked with a community of women who were integral to shaping the product’s look, feel and functionality.
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