Menopause symptom awareness research across the globe: a scoping review

Menopause is a major global health burden that directly impacts the wellbeing of half the population. Menopause is associated with a range of psychological, vasomotor, somatic and urogynocological symptoms that impact quality-of-life and day-to-day functioning. Despite this, it is still an under-discussed and taboo topic internationally, with women reporting a lack of understanding and social support, which in turn worsens the symptom experience. A lack of awareness or knowledge of menopause symptoms is a barrier to effective and understanding social support. Therefore, it is important that not only those going through menopause have awareness of symptoms, but those within their social and professional networks. To ease the global impact of menopausal symptoms, a vital step is raising awareness and encouraging social support. This scoping review aims to map current research into menopause symptom awareness across the world, sampling all ages and genders in the non-medical general public in low- to high-income countries.

Online databases were used to identify eligible studies up to June 2025, of which 84 were selected for the final sample.

Prevalence of research across the world is mapped and underrepresented areas are highlighted, including non-female samples, low-income countries, and assessment of ocular symptom knowledge. This work will inform and highlight priority areas for future research and awareness campaigns.

https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/CT5V6.