MENO.pause uses the most up-to-date national and international guidelines from NICE, British Menopause Society (BMS) and the British Gynaecological Cancer Society (BGCS) to assist healthcare professionals in GP surgeries and hospitals with providing high-quality, evidence-based treatment options for patients.
The app has been supported by patient groups and menopause organisations and funded by North Central London Cancer Alliance, UCLH Charity, BGCS and an unrestricted grant from GSK.
MENO.pause, which has been developed in collaboration with and hosted on the technology platform Clinibee, is designed to streamline clinical pathways, referrals, and decision-making in healthcare.
The app works alongside existing data systems used within healthcare, such as EMIS, which makes it easy for clinicians to access and incorporate by using the app alongside their usual methods of working during a patient consultation.
MENO.pause is designed for use in primary care and hospital settings and will promote improved local access to high-quality menopause advice, reducing the need for unnecessary tests or hospital visits.
During a consultation with a patient, clinicians are guided to answer a series of questions and input information about the patient's symptoms, medical history, and any known genetic variations. Without the use of AI, the app draws on the information received along with the menopause management guidelines to provide options for the patient.
MENO.pause also supports women who have complex health conditions, providing treatment options for those going through cancer treatment, which may cause early menopause, and for women who have a genetic variation which puts them at higher risk of cancer
It also provides information on the length of time treatment should continue, over-the-counter supplements that can help menopause symptoms and flags when a GP should refer a patient for further consultation or investigation in hospital.
Dr Shibani Nicum, honorary medical oncologist at UCLH and associate professor of oncology UCL, founder and project lead for MENO.pause, said: ‘MENO.pause has been built by a national team of experts to help clinicians manage natural, early, and cancer-related menopause, and to deal with complex HRT decisions and unscheduled bleeding, as well as providing guidance for those with a cancer risk, for example women who carry BRCA genes, which are associated with breast cancers.
‘With up to 13 million women currently going through menopause in the UK and too few trained specialists, the MENO.pause app helps to meet the need for improved access to high quality advice by providing information on a wide range of treatments in one place. We hope that women can really understand and share in decision making around their menopause care.'
Ali Malik, managing director at North Central London Cancer Alliance, added: ‘We were pleased to support the UCLH team through our Innovation Fund, which is designed to foster creative solutions that improve patient care.
'This app is a strong example of the kind of high-quality, practical tool the fund was created to enable—helping clinicians provide timely, accurate treatment for women experiencing menopause. Importantly, it also supports the specific needs of women affected by cancer: those who enter early menopause as a result of their treatment, and those with an increased genetic risk, ensuring they too receive personalised and appropriate care.'
