Virtual reality for menopause symptom management: opportunities, challenges, and next steps

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Digital Health
• Psychology

Background:

• Menopause, marked by cessation of ovarian function, affects over 75% of midlife women, often causing persistent vasomotor symptoms (VMS).
• Hormone therapy, the most effective VMS treatment, is underutilized due to safety concerns, highlighting the need for alternative therapies.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based strategy for VMS, and Virtual Reality (VR) offers an immersive platform for delivering CBT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing literature on the application of Virtual Reality (VR) for managing menopause-related symptoms.
• To identify the current research landscape and potential of VR as a therapeutic tool for VMS.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was performed using PubMed and Medline databases.
• Keywords included combinations of Virtual Reality (VR), artificial intelligence, and menopause symptoms.

Main Results:

• The search identified only one pilot study evaluating VR and AI for hot flashes in women with cancer.
• This study demonstrated significant reductions in hot flash frequency and improvements in sleep, mood, and quality of life (P < 0.01).
• Findings may be limited in generalizability to the broader menopausal population due to the specific cohort studied.

Conclusions:

• A significant research gap exists regarding the use of VR for typical menopause symptoms.
• While VR has proven effective for CBT delivery in other conditions, its specific efficacy for menopause requires further investigation.
• Future research should focus on evaluating VR interventions tailored to women experiencing menopause-related symptoms.