International Menopause Society sets new global standards for menopause care with evidence-led framework

For the first time in a decade, the International Menopause Society (IMS)​ has released a complete redevelopment of its global menopause recommendations.

Grounded in evidence, the new guidance defines how menopause and midlife health care should be evaluated, delivered, and governed as a clinical discipline in its own right.

The IMS Recommendations and Key Messages on Women’s Midlife Health and Menopause were led by Professor Nick Panay, with editorial oversight from Dr Tim Hillard, Editor-in-Chief of Climacteric.

They were developed by an international group of 38 experts, supported by 27 contributors from national and international menopause societies, using rigorous systematic literature searches and recognised evidence appraisal frameworks.

This new body of work replaces the Society’s 2016 guidance and is published amid renewed focus on women’s health and menopause across clinical practice, policy, and the public sphere.

Dr Hillard, Climacteric Editor-in-Chief, said: “The publication of the updated IMS recommendations represents an important global milestone in women’s midlife health care and builds on the previous guidance from 2016. In the intervening ten years, women’s health, and menopause in particular, has gained greater attention in the media and in government. While this is welcome, increased attention also brings challenges, including misinformation, false claims, and selective use of data. These updated recommendations have been developed by a broad international group using robust methodology to interrogate the available evidence, resulting in an authoritative, evidence-based framework covering a wide range of menopause-related issues.”

The recommendations are published as a live, updateable global document, designed to evolve as new evidence emerges and clinical practice advances. They provide evidence-based guidance and key messages across 30 sections covering lifestyle, midlife body changes, vasomotor symptoms, genitourinary syndrome of menopause, cardiometabolic and bone health, cancers, dementia, premature ovarian insufficiency, sexual wellbeing, and related areas.

Professor Panay added, “What has been delivered by an exceptional international team is a clear, shared menopause agenda that provides direction for clinical practice, policy, and research worldwide. It calls for improved access to balanced, evidence-based information to support women’s health literacy and confident decision-making; stronger policy support from governments and institutions to advance research and clinical management; enhanced education and training for healthcare professionals; responsible media engagement that prioritises accuracy over sensationalism; and continued pharmaceutical research and development to expand safe, effective, and affordable treatment options globally.”

The IMS Publication Steering Committee chaired by Professor Panay, guided the full development process, from designing the stakeholder survey and selecting topics and authors, to reviewing, editing, advising on publication format, and securing endorsements from other societies.
Dr Hillard concluded, “We hope these recommendations give women and clinicians the confidence to make informed decisions about midlife health, helping to maintain wellbeing, improve quality of life, and reduce the risk of preventable disease.”

Full details are available at:
https://www.imsociety.org/statements/ims-recommendations/

For interviews, images, and further details contact Natalie Trice via natalietrice@natalietrice.co.uk or call 07825615303

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

About the International Menopause Society

The International Menopause Society (IMS) is a membership organisation that brings together the world’s leading experts to collaborate and share knowledge about all aspects of ageing in women.

The IMS mission is to work globally to promote and support access to best practice health care for women through their menopause transition and post-reproductive years, enabling them to achieve optimal health and well-being.

The vision is that all women across the world will have easy and equitable access to evidence-based knowledge and health care, empowering them to make fully informed midlife health choices.

The full IMS Recommendations and Key Messages on Women’s Midlife Health and Menopause, along with supporting documents, are available online at:
https://www.imsociety.org/statements/ims-recommendations/

The recommendations were led by Professor Nick Panay, Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital, Imperial College London, with editorial oversight from Dr Timothy Hillard, University Hospitals Dorset, Poole, UK, Editor-in-Chief of Climacteric.