Once a topic women would discuss in hushed tones—or avoid altogether—menopause is now trending. Celebrities including Halle Barry and Naomi Watts, influencers and health experts are racking up a staggering number of views discussing everything from hot flashes and hormones to brain fog and skin changes.
Data from Saga Health Insurance found that on August 12, millions of people on TikTok searched for content around fertility and menopause, with searches increasing by almost 200% compared with the previous day. That day, health tech company ŌURA debuted the Perimenopause Check-In feature, an educational hub and biometric symptom tracking.
Why is menopause suddenly such a talking point? Simply put, it started with a few women saying it out loud in public, encouraging everyone else to do the same, women’s wellness expert Amy Suzanne Upchurch told Newsweek.
“Now a woman hears someone describe her exact symptoms on social media, and thinks: wait, this is happening to me too, and nobody prepared me for it. That’s the whole shift right there. Not new science. Permission,” she said.
“A woman can watch a video at midnight, alone, and think that person sharing their experience online has just mirrored hers exactly. There was no version of that ten years ago. You either had a friend who’s been through it or you had nothing.”
Thanks to the ubiquity of digital media, Gen X and millennial women are now approaching doctors with specific questions, armed with a surprising command of medical terminology.
“Gen X [patients] arrive at my clinic already having listened to three podcasts and read a Mary Claire Haver book. They want to understand the difference between oral and transdermal estradiol, whether they’re a candidate for testosterone, and what their DEXA scan means,” naturopathic doctor Bobby Parmar tells Newsweek.
Dr. Haver is a board-certified obstetrics and gynecology specialist, entrepreneur and best-selling author of author of “The New Menopause” and “The New Perimenopause.”
Content preferences also vary by generation, Upchurch, founder of Pink Stork, explained to Newsweek. Live videos are effective for a Gen X audience, allowing viewers to ask questions about their symptoms in real time. Younger women tend to choose educational content explaining the early signs of perimenopause, including changes in sleep, mood, energy levels and menstrual cycles.
These digital campaigns are countering years of misinformation, much of which can be traced back to reactions to the Women’s Health Initiative study. In 1991, the National Institutes of Health launched the clinical study, meant to guide postmenopausal health. Instead, its hormone therapy trial triggered medical controversy and a wave of panic that changed how millions of women navigated menopause.
Today’s exploitation of the menopause-related wellness market, the so-called “menopause gold rush,” is positioned to undermine decades of work to correct misinformation and regain public trust surrounding the subject.
Though, at the same time, several products have come to market to help women experiencing perimenopause and menopause and their related effects, from symptom trackers like what ŌURA offers to the estrogen-rich product lineup by Winona to hair regrowth formulas from Nutrafol.
Boston Consulting Group research revealed that the market for menopause-related treatment in the U.S. in 2025 was $5 billion. It predicts that number could rise to $39 billion by 2030. By that time, about 35 million U.S. women will be in one of the three stages of menopause, the equivalent of roughly 36% of the American women.
A JAMA Network Open analysis of Google Trends data found that commercial products and services made up 36% of menopause-related searches in the UK in 2025, up from 16% in 2010.
Charlotte Body, founder of Pause Lives, a UK-based non-profit focused on menopause support, believes that brands are continuously slapping “menopause” on products that are not only ineffective but also expensive, exploiting women’s vulnerability while eroding trust.
To counter the trend, Body calls for authentic, community-led, symptom-focused campaigns, as well as more positive role models—such as Dr Nighat Arif, Carol Vorderman, and Davina McCall. Arif, Vorderman and McCall are high-profile campaigners who have worked to increase awareness of menopause, break taboos related to the life stage, and improve access to hormone replacement therapy.
“My grandmother’s generation suffered in silence with almost no support; I’m doing this so my daughter and granddaughter won’t. And while we’re increasing awareness for the younger generation, we need to do it in a way that’s honest but not frightening,” Body said. Pause Lives also invites men to its events, aiming to help them fully support their partners during what can be a difficult transition.
