Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential need for better awareness around menopause-related health complications, such as osteoporosis.

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy, published in April, recognises that the symptoms and health impacts of menopause are often overlooked and poorly understood, and commits to improving information so women can ensure their symptoms are effectively managed, including through evidence-based treatments.

We are introducing specific content on menopause into the NHS Health Check for eligible women aged 40 to 55 years old, helping women to recognise common symptoms and access trusted information and support, including information about the wider health impacts of menopause. The list of useful resources to which women will be signposted includes information on the links between bone health and the menopause.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on the risk assessment of osteoporosis recommends that fragility fracture risk should be assessed in all women who have experienced menopause and have had a previous fragility fracture. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng259