Exploring Women's Needs and Information Seeking Behaviors on Online Menopause UK Forums: Implications for Health Communication and Support

OBJECTIVES: There is a lack of education about the course and consequences of menopause despite it being a natural life phase for women. This study aims to identify the reasons women post on online menopause forums to explore information gaps and unmet needs.

METHODS: A predefined search identified menopausematters.co.uk as the largest UK menopause forum. Social media posts were collected between February 1, 2024, and April 30, 2024 using a third-party social listening tool, Brandwatch. Only posts referring to menopause and menopause treatments were included. The final data set of 622 posts was analyzed using content analysis.

RESULTS: An exhaustive list of 1723 posts were downloaded for analysis. The motivations for seeking menopause-related support were categorized into four overarching themes. Firstly, Understanding Symptoms and Conditions constituted 5 sub-themes: seeking to understand symptoms/ hormone levels and what is "normal,"(163 posts), finding advice on alleviating symptoms (69 posts), sharing information resources (21 posts), sharing personal experiences to reassure others (13 posts), and sharing experiences and queries related to medication cessation (26 posts). Secondly, Guidance on Medication and Treatment included looking for advice on how to correctly take medication (52 posts), advice for medical appointments and healthcare access (21 posts), sharing positive medication experiences to encourage others (4 posts) and sharing medication supply issues and queries (13 posts). Thirdly, Verifying Medical Advice and Decisions included the need for second opinions post-medical appointments (37 posts) and for crowdsourcing peer reviews of medications (167 posts). Finally, Exploring Non-Medical Well-Being Strategies included sought-after advice for non-medicated coping mechanisms (36 posts).

CONCLUSIONS: The themes highlight diverse reasons women seek peer advice to manage their menopause. This suggests that many women do not receive satisfactory medical solutions or sufficiently clear explanations. Enhanced communication and medical support regarding menopause would empower women to prepare and cope, allowing them to reach their full potential.