A Victory For Women's Health

By Samantha Gnimavo

I wanted to highlight a genuinely important step forward for women's health in the UK. Starting in 2026, routine NHS health checks for women aged 40 and above will finally include questions about menopause.

This might sound like a small update, but it's big. For decades, in research and medicine, women were essentially treated as smaller men, which meant our unique biology, hormones, and experiences were often overlooked. This has created huge gaps in understanding symptoms, diagnosing conditions, and providing adequate support.

The new addition to health checks aims to change that. It will help raise awareness, spark earlier conversations, and give women greater confidence to seek help. Although the average age of menopause in the UK is 51, perimenopause can begin much earlier. Symptoms like hot flushes, disrupted sleep, weight changes, joint pain, anxiety, and brain fog can deeply affect daily life — yet many women don't know whether what they're feeling is "normal."

Recently, I've spoken with many women in their early forties who've said, "Samantha, I feel off. Something has shifted. I think it might be perimenopause, but I'm not sure what to do." These questions being added to NHS checks could make a real difference for women in exactly this situation. Nearly 5 million women stand to benefit from earlier recognition and better access to support. However, I am always here to support you Ladies.