Do you really know? Is menopause still a taboo subject?
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Jan 27, 2026 A concise look at how menopause was defined and long stigmatized by historic medicine. Discussion of growing public awareness, celebrity documentaries, and shifting social attitudes. Coverage of the Make Menopause Matter campaign pushing workplace support and HRT access. Notes on rising HRT demand, supply challenges, and recent wins on prescription costs.
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Menopause Is A Natural But Medicalised Stage
- Menopause is a natural life stage when a woman stops ovulating and having periods due to lower hormone levels.
- Despite lasting years and affecting all women, it was long medicalised and stigmatized as an illness.
Historical Medicine Fueled Stigma
- 18th-century Western medicine and psychiatric studies helped stigmatise menopause as women being unstable.
- That stigma shaped cultural views that persist even as awareness grows.
Media Figures Sharing Personal Accounts
- Lorraine Kelly couldn't find a single female guest in 2017 so she gave her own account on her breakfast show.
- Davina McCall has also publicly shared her experiences and made documentaries raising awareness.