The Menopause Gold Rush: When Women’s Health Became Everybody’s Favourite Cash Cow
For years, women were told to put up with it.
Hot flushes?
Part of getting older.
Can’t sleep?
Probably stress.
Brain fog?
Everyone forgets things.
Feeling anxious, exhausted or completely unlike yourself?
Welcome to middle age, apparently.
For many years, menopause was something women were expected to quietly get on with.
Don’t complain.
Don’t make a fuss.
And don’t expect anyone to take it particularly seriously.
It’s just one of those things dear.
Now
We’re talking about menopause more openly.
Women are asking better questions.
They’re demanding proper information, treatment and support.
And about fucking time too.
The wellness industry has looked at millions of women who want answers, recognised a rather substantial business opportunity and thought:
There’s money in them there hormones. (Do that in an old cowboy type accent)
Which brings us to the menopause gold rush.
From Being Ignored To Being Sold Everything
Women have spent years trying to convince people that their symptoms are real.
That their experiences matter.
That they deserve to be listened to.
And now, when they’re finally getting some attention, they’re being bombarded with products promising to fix practically everything.
Menopause supplements.
Hormone-balancing powders.
Cortisol support.
Sleep gummies.
Gut-health blends.
Menopause protein.
Collagen.
Metabolism boosters.
Specially formulated menopause teas.
And enough fucking capsules to make your kitchen look like a branch of Holland & Barrett.
Being a woman over 40 now requires a subscription service.
These symptoms are real enough, disruptive enough and important enough that women deserve better than a marketing campaign dressed up as healthcare.
The Research Is Rather Awkward For The Industry
In September 2026, researchers from University College London published an analysis of 201 menopause supplements available through major UK retailers.
They found huge variation in ingredients and prices.
Some products cost just £1.50 a month.
Others reached £95 a month.
There wasn’t one ingredient common to every product.
Many contained mixtures of herbs, vitamins and plant compounds, but the evidence supporting the effectiveness of many menopause-specific supplements remains limited.
Then consumer organisation Which? examined 26 supplements marketed towards perimenopausal and menopausal women.
None met their Best Buy standards for menopause-specific nutritional support.
Some contained ingredients that were available in considerably cheaper ordinary multivitamins.
Others included botanical ingredients at doses below those investigated in relevant research.
This is something I’ve brought up over the past few months etc on my weekly rants on the socials. Where some company is selling you a supplement to help with something and yes the ingredients will benefit and potentially help but the dosage is not high enough to make any fucking difference.
That doesn’t prove every supplement is useless.
It doesn’t mean nobody will ever benefit from a particular ingredient.
But it does raise an obvious question.
What exactly are you paying for?
The ingredients?
The evidence?
Or the word MENOPAUSE printed on a lovely pastel-coloured tub, because you know it makes you calm.
Menopause Is Not A Nutrient Deficiency
Because the menopause involves hormonal changes, it can be tempting to assume that there’s a nutritional product capable of correcting every consequence.
But menopause isn’t simply a deficiency of magnesium, collagen, vitamin B6 or whichever botanical extract happens to be fashionable this month.
It’s a biological transition involving changing reproductive hormone levels.
And symptoms can vary enormously.
Some women experience relatively few difficulties.
Others have symptoms that seriously affect sleep, mood, work, relationships and quality of life.
Some need medical treatment.
Some benefit from targeted lifestyle changes.
Some need help with several different things at once.
There isn’t one fucking powder that addresses all of that.
And anybody claiming otherwise needs to provide some pretty convincing evidence.
Which hasn’t been written up by them in their own little tests.
The Hormone-Balancing Bollocks
A phrase I wish would just fuck off…..
“Balances your hormones.”
Which hormones?
In whom?
Measured how?
Balanced to what?
And how does this magic product supposedly achieve that?
Because hormones aren’t a collection of spirit levels that you can straighten up by swallowing a capsule.
Hormone levels naturally change.
They fluctuate.
They interact with other systems.
And during perimenopause and menopause, those changes can be particularly noticeable.
That doesn’t mean every symptom should be ignored.
It means we need to understand what’s happening rather than pretending every woman needs the same supplement stack.
If a company is claiming to treat menopause symptoms, I’d expect evidence for that specific claim.
Not just a study showing one ingredient does something interesting in a laboratory.
Not a testimonial.
Not an influencer saying she feels amazing.
And definitely not a fucking discount code.
Not All Supplements Are Bollocks
There are circumstances where supplements are useful.
Vitamin D can be relevant for bone health, particularly when dietary intake, sunlight exposure or individual risk factors make it appropriate.
Calcium intake matters too, although ideally we’d assess someone’s overall dietary intake before automatically handing them a supplement.
Specific nutritional deficiencies should be addressed.
And there is some evidence for certain complementary approaches to particular symptoms, although product quality, safety, interactions and the strength of evidence vary.
That’s very different from saying every woman entering perimenopause needs a £60 monthly collection of menopause-branded products.
Useful supplementation should answer an actual need.
Not manufacture a new one.
What About HRT?
Hormone replacement therapy is an established treatment.
It’s not appropriate or wanted by everybody, and decisions about it should be individualised.
There are also non-hormonal treatment options.
Menopause-specific cognitive behavioural therapy can help with certain symptoms, including difficulties associated with hot flushes, sleep and mood.
The point isn’t that every woman should take HRT.
The point is that women should have access to proper information about the full range of evidence-based options.
Not be frightened away from medical care because somebody on Instagram has discovered a more profitable alternative.
Let’s not forget that persistent fatigue, palpitations, mood changes or other symptoms shouldn’t automatically be blamed on menopause without considering other possible causes.
Women deserve a full MOT, not an assumption.
Where Training And Nutrition Actually Fit
I work with plenty of women in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond.
I see how much difference appropriate training, nutrition and support can make.
Resistance training helps maintain and build strength.
Weight-bearing activity and resistance exercise support bone health.
Regular movement supports cardiovascular and metabolic health.
Adequate protein helps support muscle maintenance and adaptation.
Eating enough, including carbs and dietary fat, matters for energy, recovery and general health.
A supportive environment can make exercise something you enjoy rather than another bloody obligation.
Exercise and nutrition aren’t magic cures for menopause either.
I’m not going to tell somebody that three sets of squats will fix their hot flushes.
Or that eating more protein will magically sort their night sweats.
Because that would make me just another bloke promising women a solution to something far more complicated.
Training and nutrition are valuable parts of looking after yourself through midlife.
They’re not substitutes for appropriate medical care.
Stop Making Women Feel Like They’re Failing At Menopause
We’ve spent decades telling women they’re not thin enough.
Not young enough.
Not toned enough.
Not attractive enough.
Not productive enough.
And now they’re not managing menopause well enough either.
You’re not sleeping properly?
Buy this.
You’re gaining weight?
Buy that.
Feeling tired?
Try these capsules.
Brain fog?
Here’s a powder.
Not feeling like your old self?
Subscribe to our programme.
And if it doesn’t work?
Well, perhaps you weren’t consistent enough.
Perhaps you need the premium version.
Perhaps you need another fucking supplement.
We’ve turned another completely normal stage of life into an opportunity to make women feel inadequate.
And that’s not empowerment.
That’s marketing.
What Does Genuine Menopause Support Look Like?
It starts with listening.
Actually listening.
Not dismissing symptoms.
Not assuming every woman is experiencing the same thing.
Not treating every concern as an excuse to sell something.
It means access to reliable information.
Medical advice when needed.
Appropriate treatment choices.
Support around nutrition, exercise and sleep.
Understanding that menopause can coincide with demanding jobs, ageing parents, teenagers, relationship changes and a hundred other pressures.
And it means recognising that women are individuals.
Some want to train hard and compete.
Some want to maintain their strength and independence.
Some just want to get through the working day without feeling completely fucking exhausted and wanting to stab some twat in the face.
You Don’t Need To Optimise Your Entire Existence
One of the things I love about The Den is watching women realise what their bodies are still capable of.
Not because we’ve found some secret menopause hack.
Because they’re training consistently.
They’re getting stronger.
They’re learning new skills.
They’re building confidence.
They’re supporting each other.
They’re discovering that being in their 50s or 60s doesn’t mean they’re finished.
And sometimes the most valuable thing we can offer isn’t another intervention.
It’s an environment where somebody doesn’t feel like a problem that needs fixing.
You can be menopausal.
You can have symptoms.
You can need medical support.
You can want to change your body composition.
You can want to improve your fitness.
And you can still be a perfectly capable, valuable human being right now.
You don’t have to purchase your way into being acceptable.
Before You Buy Another Menopause Product…
Ask yourself a few questions.
What am I actually hoping this will improve?
Is there good evidence that this product, at this dose, helps with that outcome?
Could the ingredients be obtained more cheaply elsewhere?
Is there a possible interaction with medication or a medical condition?
Would it make more sense to speak to my GP or the Womens health specialist at the surgery?
And am I buying this because I have a genuine need…
or because somebody has convinced me there’s something wrong with me?
That’s a question worth asking about most things you see advertised on the internet, trying to sell you something for a problem you didn’t know you had.
Women Deserve Better Than Another Gold Rush
The fact that we’re finally talking about menopause openly is a good thing.
But awareness shouldn’t simply create a bigger market for expensive promises.
It should create better education.
Better conversations.
Better healthcare.
Better support.
More choice.
And less shame.
Women fought for years to have their symptoms taken seriously.
They shouldn’t now have to fight their way through a fucking sales funnel to get decent advice.
So yes, let’s talk about menopause.
Let’s talk about HRT, non-hormonal treatments, training, nutrition, bone health, sleep and mental wellbeing.
Let’s acknowledge that some women struggle enormously while others don’t.
Let’s stop pretending every symptom can be fixed with a supplement.
Let’s stop confusing selling women more stuff with actually supporting them.
Because genuine empowerment isn’t convincing somebody they need another product.
It’s giving them the knowledge, support and confidence to decide whether they need it at all.
