The Change of mind: why digital solutions should be central to helping women deal with menopause

For those who missed it, the Senate Inquiry into the Impact of Perimenopause and Menopause came to a close last month, with the committee detailing their 25 recommendations to Parliament.

Without a proper look-in for digital health across any of the recommendations, we’re probably in for a long hard slog to see any real change for this generation of mid-life women.

With over two decades in the digital health field, I’ve seen firsthand how effectively it can fill critical gaps.

Menopause care, in particular, is an area where digital innovation can drive immediate and impactful change.

So, if you’re feeling as perplexed as me, or even just peg yourself as one of those impatient types, I thought it was important to mark this World Menopause Day with some actions you can take NOW to help your organisation and teams in raising awareness, providing education and support.

Believe me, your people and bottom line will thank you for it! After working with some of Australia’s largest organisations to help up the ante on their menopause game, there have been three key stand-out themes that see the most impact across their organisations.

1. Education: Addressing the knowledge gap

One of the primary issues that has been raised is a lack of awareness about menopause across both healthcare and broader communities.

What we do know is that just speaking to women is not going to be the gamechanger everyone thinks it will be.

Men are still more likely to be in decision making positions, whether that be policy, product and service development or other areas that directly impact women.

We’ve learnt and strongly believe that this needs to be tackled on both sides of the fence so always encourage our clients to include education for the male employees to drive real and lasting change.

2. Conversation: Breaking the stigma

Stigma thrives in silence, and nowhere is this more apparent than in menopause discussions, particularly in workplaces.

Despite widespread evidence that women feel unsupported during this life phase, discussions about menopause are still avoided.

Leading by example from the top, being open with your teams to encourage conversations, as well as acknowledging diversity and inclusion in an authentic way are all important factors in fostering more conversation around taboo topics like menopause.

You will know you have won when the women and men in your workplace feel comfortable to confidently advocate for change.

3. Empowerment: access to digital tools

What the Inquiry Recommendations missed was that digital health isn’t a future luxury – it’s here and ready to provide solutions for millions of women facing menopause-related challenges today.

Digital tools provide not only information but also tangible symptom-tracking and healthcare connections that support proactive health management.

The Metluma app helps users track symptoms over time, gain insight into personal patterns, and learn which treatments or lifestyle adjustments might help them most. Symptom tracking offers a unique, data-driven approach to understanding menopause, helping women communicate more effectively with healthcare providers or, where needed, prepare for further consultations.

In an environment where GP shortages and rural healthcare access are critical issues, an app like Metluma gives women a means to start managing their care without waiting months for an in-person appointment.

This could make a profound difference, ensuring that women have actionable data at their fingertips.

Find the right solutions fast

We’ve also been busy mapping the Australian Menopause Ecosystem.

We want it to be easy for people to find the information and organisations that can help with taking action today. You can access this here for free. It’s an ever-growing ecosystem so make sure to bookmark it!

This couldn’t be more crucial for people to know how to navigate the huge amount of menopause information that is now available, often conflicting and confusing.

We can’t solely rely on the healthcare system in Australia to help us cut through the clutter, as it struggles to keep up with an ageing population and the loss of 31.7% of GPs by 2030.

So while we all sit and wait for the non-digital recommendations to take effect, I hope the above has provided a little comfort on what CAN be done now for those who are as impatient as I am on this issue.

If you’re interested in learning more about how Metluma can help you, I welcome you to connect on LinkedIn.