WoSIH highlights work on menopause support as it marks World Menopause Day
To mark World Menopause Day, the West of Scotland Innovation Hub is highlighting its work to help transform women’s experience of menopause.
The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of menopause - which is different for everyone - and the support options for improving health and wellbeing.
While a minority of women will not experience any symptoms, many find that it impacts their lives with symptoms including hot flushes, trouble sleeping, fatigue and mood changes.
The WoSIH has been working with digital health companies Adora and Lumino to develop technology that will support women with personalised self-management and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy tools.
The challenge, which seeks to empower women by leveraging technology to help them better understand menopause and access personalised support, has been funded by the Scottish Government’s CivTech programme and the Chief Scientist Office.
WoSIH has been working with clinicians from NHS Ayrshire and Arran and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, in partnership with Adora and Lumino.
Adora has been developing a companion app that allows women to access personalised self-management information for menopause.
It uses conversation-driven Artificial Intelligence to guide women through their menopause and enables individualised recommendations and assessments.
Meanwhile, Lumino has developed Seren, a prototype digital therapeutic for menopause symptoms using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which is proven to help.
Lumino is continuing to develop a launch version of Seren which will be made available to NHS patients and those working in the wider Scottish public sector.
Becky Cotton, co-founder and CEO of Lumino, said: “Today gives us a chance to recognise all the work that goes on to support women living with menopause.
“The collaboration between Lumino, Civtech and the West of Scotland Innovation Hub is a fantastic example of how innovation can have a real and positive impact on people’s lives.”
Dr Karen Morton, Gynecologist, Obstetrician, and Chair of Adora’s Clinical Steering Committee, said: “Raising awareness about menopause is, of course, fantastic, and while HRT can be life-changing for many women, it's crucial that treatment options are evidence-based."
The Adora team, in collaboration with NHS Scotland, is working to provide menopause support at scale across the country.
And highlighting the platform’s commitment to reliable and personalised care, Dr Morton added: “Adora should be everyone’s trusted go-to for menopause support, offering assessments and advice grounded in solid clinical research.”
Lynne McNiven, Director of Public Health, NHS Ayrshire & Arran: “We are delighted to be part of these innovative projects that are going to have a real impact on women who are experiencing symptoms of menopause. Having ready access to this kind of support is something really new and exciting and will be a huge benefit to those going through the menopause.”
Dr Jenifer Sassarini, a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “By addressing the challenges we have delivering NHS treatment, we can improve outcomes for everyone going through menopause.”