Many women with a history of breast cancer are facing poor quality menopause care, and feel uninvolved in treatment decisions, a study has found.

The Newson Research study, published in the journal Menopause in 2024, was based on a survey of 1,195 women with a history of breast cancer. Some 99.7% of women had experienced menopause symptoms, with 68.3% offered treatment (including non-hormone and hormone treatments).

Information provision and time allocated to menopause-related discussion was poor – less than ten minutes for 73.52% of women – and involvement in menopause-related treatment decisions was low. Women who consulted a menopause specialist (30.2%)were significantly more able to discuss their concerns, were given significantly more time and felt significantly more involved in menopause-related treatment decisions.

Overall, 96%of women wanted more support for menopausal symptoms.

The study concluded:

• Many women in the study cohort had unmet menopause-related health needs after breast cancer, and the quality of menopause care received was poor
• Most women felt uninvolved in menopause-related treatment decisions
• Women experienced higher quality menopause care if they had access to a menopause specialist.

Read the full study here.