Menopause: identification and management

Equity of services

NICE understands that some groups of people may not experience the same level of menopause care as others. This includes trans men and non-binary people registered female at birth, people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds, and people with autism or learning disabilities. We have highlighted the following support which may help address the challenges.

Support from NICE

• There is a dedicated section on NICE’s website which provides information and advice on how NICE can help you tackle health inequalities.
• NICE’s guideline on community engagement: improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities covers community engagement approaches to reduce health inequalities, ensure health and wellbeing initiatives are effective and help local authorities and health bodies meet their statutory obligations.
• NICE has published a quality standard on promoting health and preventing premature mortality in black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups which draws attention to some of the specific areas of inequality for people from black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups, such as increased health risks, poor access to and experience of services, and worse health outcomes. It aims to support public authorities in considering their equality duty when designing, planning, and delivering services.

Support outside of NICE

• The NHS Business Services Authority have produced an article to bring greater insight to understanding the inequalities that exist in HRT prescribing. It can be used locally to help inform policies, planning and commissioning of services. It will be used nationally to inform a wider action plan to reduce inequalities in women’s health.
• The British Menopause Society has developed a tool on Menopause in ethnic minority women for clinicians.
• Black Health and Beyond provides information and support for clinicians and black people in menopause.
• The National Autistic Society provides advice on menopause for clinicians and people with autism.

Note that external websites and resources have not been produced by NICE. NICE has not made any judgement about the methodology, quality or usability of the websites or resources.