Menopause support to be added to NHS health checks

Dedicated questions and support related to the menopause are to be included within routine NHS health checks for women aged over 40 across England, it has been announced.

The government said the move would benefit nearly five million women and marked a ‘landmark step forward’ in women’s healthcare.

New questions related to the menopause will be developed over the coming months, with ‘health experts feeding in’.

An NHS Health Check is typically delivered by a practice nurse, healthcare assistant or pharmacist and is offered to adults aged 40-74 every five years. The routine checks are aimed at identifying people with health risks including cardiovascular disease, stroke, kidney disease, type 2 diabetes and dementia.

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The government said that the addition of support for the menopause, ‘for the first time nationally’, would help raise awareness of symptoms and give women ‘the confidence to seek help’.

And it ‘empowers clinicians to proactively address concerns that often go unrecognised’.

Women reporting symptoms during a routine health check will be directed to services, information and treatment options.

Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘Women have been suffering in silence for far too long and haven’t been encouraged to open up about the symptoms they’re experiencing.

‘This often means they’re left to navigate menopause alone, with very little support – all because of an outdated health system that fails to acknowledge how serious it can be.’

Mr Streeting said the government was ‘overhauling women’s healthcare and giving those experiencing menopause and perimenopause the visibility and support they have long been asking for’.

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Professor Ranee Thakar, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists president, welcomed the move.

‘Creating space for women to get information about menopause symptoms, support and treatments will break down barriers, reduce stigma, and help many women live more happily and healthily in middle age,’ she said.

To ensure ‘maximum impact’, Professor Thakar said she would like to see a focus on supporting women from diverse ethnic communities and socially deprived areas, alongside ‘excellent’ menopause training for healthcare assistants delivering the checks.

Founding director of Menopause Mandate Laura Biggs said the move was something the campaign group had been ‘tirelessly campaigning for’.

The group’s 2025 survey of more than 15,000 women had revealed only 14% learned about menopause from a healthcare professional and that 99% wanted menopause included in their health checks.

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‘This practical and preventative step will transform the experience of millions of women entering their peri- and menopausal years, helping them make informed choices about symptoms and treatment, while saving the NHS significant unnecessary costs,’ said Ms Biggs.

A recent Nursing in Practice feature explored the unique role of general practice nurses in menopause care and the opportunities they have to mention it with patients at various stages in a patient’s care.