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Menopause – a poorly understood stage of life

Guest Editors:
Kath Peters, PhD: Western Sydney University, Australia
Hedyeh Riazi, PhD: Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran

BMC Women’s Health called for submissions to our Collection on Menopause - a poorly understood stage of life. 

This Collection sought to address the knowledge gap in our understanding of menopause and its profound impact on women’s health and overall well-being. Menopause, a natural phase in a woman's life, remains a topic many women and even healthcare providers know little about, despite its significance. A better understanding of this important period is needed in order to support women during the menopause transition. Through this collection, we aimed to bring together research exploring menopause and its multifaceted effects on women's physical, mental, sexual, and emotional well-being. 

New Content ItemThis collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being, SDG 5: Gender Equality.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Kath Peters, PhD: Western Sydney University, Australia

Professor Kath Peters is the Associate Dean (International and Engagement) in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University. She has successfully led multiple funded and unfunded research projects to completion, ensuring research outcomes with over 150 publications in peer-reviewed journals. She has expertise in all aspects of qualitative research with a particular interest in feminist methodology. Her research encompasses marginalized populations and women’s sexual and reproductive health across the lifespan.


Hedyeh Riazi, PhD: Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Dr Riazi is employed at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, holding the title of Associate Professor in the Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health.  She graduated with a Ph.D from the medical school of Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran. Dr Riazi’s research activity is focused on women’s sexual and reproductive health, and she supervised many PhD and MS dissertations and also published several papers and books in this field. She is an editorial board member of BMC Women’s Health, Associate Editor of Advances in Nursing & Midwifery, and Editorial board member of Payesh Journal.

About the Collection

BMC Women’s Health called for submissions to our Collection on Menopause - a poorly understood stage of life. This Collection sought to address the knowledge gap in our understanding of menopause and its profound impact on women’s health and overall well-being. 

Menopause, a natural phase in a woman's life, remains a topic many women and even healthcare providers know little about, despite its significance. A better understanding of this important period is needed in order to support women during the menopause transition. Through this collection, we aimed to bring together research exploring menopause and its multifaceted effects on women's physical, mental, sexual, and emotional well-being. 

We invited healthcare professionals and researchers from across fields including gynecology, endocrinology, mental health, nutrition, nursing, and others to contribute research on all aspects of menopause and women’s health during menopause.  Topics of interest included but are not limited to:

  • Menopause symptoms and symptom management
  • Effects of hormonal changes on women’s overall health and quality of life
  • Changes in all aspects of health during menopause, including mental, cardiovascular, cognitive, oral, and musculoskeletal health
  • Factors that affect health and well-being during menopause, including physical, psychological, and sociocultural factors
  • Correlation between menopause and the development or management of chronic diseases
  • Interventions and treatments to improve overall health and quality of life during and after menopause
  • Women’s experiences of menopause

This collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being and, SDG 5: Gender Equality. 

Image credit: fizkes / stock.adobe.com

  1. Menopause represents a critical stage in middle. Examining menopausal symptoms within healthcare system requires reliable and valid instruments. The Menopause Representations Questionnaire (Menosentations-Q) i...

    Authors: Zahra Arab Borzu, Mahmood Karimy, Mafalda Leitão, Filipa Pimenta, Rita Albergaria, Zahedeh Khoshnazar and Parisa Hosseini Koukamari
    Citation: BMC Women's Health 2025 25:87
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. The etiology of depression involves many biological and environmental factors, among which the inflammatory process is an important contributor. However, the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines in postmenopausa...

    Authors: Ketan Chu, Xi Lin, Saisai Li, Linjuan Ma, Yizhou Huang, Fan Wu, Mengna Shou, Nazaré Alva Galang Cabarrabang, Yibing Lan and Jianhong Zhou
    Citation: BMC Women's Health 2025 25:24
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. Research shows a decline in physical activity (PA) in women during the menopause transition (MT). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore experiences of the MT in Irish women and how it impacts mot...

    Authors: Kelly Lee McNulty, Aoife Lane, Rosarie Kealy and Patricia Heavey
    Citation: BMC Women's Health 2024 24:666
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. The role of endogenous estrogen exposure (EEE) in shaping body composition and its implications for cardiometabolic health remain understudied despite its potential significance. This cross-sectional study aim...

    Authors: Elahe Rashidi, Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani, Majid Valizadeh, Mahtab Niroomand, Maryam Mahdavi, Maryam Farahmand, Behnaz Abiri, Fereidoun Azizi and Farhad Hosseinpanah
    Citation: BMC Women's Health 2024 24:648
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. Previous research has documented cognitive deficits in survivors of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).Our longitudinal study with large sample size, aims to assess the impact of menopausal status on cognitive ...

    Authors: Yuenan Zheng, Jie Zhao, Yang Shi, Zhiqiang Gui, Chun Xu, Qingshu Wu, Lili Zhu, Zhihong Wang, Hao Zhang and Liang He
    Citation: BMC Women's Health 2024 24:642
    Content type: Research Published on:

  6. Heterogeneity of clinical appearance had made it a challenge to make individualized and comprehensive management of perimenopause. This study aimed to estimate the profiles over heterogenous appearances of per...

    Authors: Zhongyu Huang, Huazhi You, Lijuan Li, Shuang Wang, Zipan Lyu, Xiaoqin Zeng, Changyan Zhu, Minqing Li, Han Yan and Yaojuan He
    Citation: BMC Women's Health 2024 24:638
    Content type: Research Published on:

  7. This study systematically evaluated the effect of aerobic exercise on sleep disorders in menopausal women and proposed a practical program from the perspective of "what to practice," "how much to practice," an...

    Authors: Yan Jing, Mingyi Liu, Honglin Tang, Nianxin Kong, Jingjie Cai and Zikang Yin
    Citation: BMC Women's Health 2024 24:635
    Content type: Systematic Review Published on:

  8. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women, but sex-specific risk factors are incompletely understood. In this study, we aimed to assess the associations between the type of menopause, an...

    Authors: Zahra Jamali, Parvin Khalili, Fatemeh Ayoobi, Hajar Vatankhah, Ali Esmaeili-Nadimi, Faezeh Esmaeili Ranjbar and Mahboubeh Vatanparast
    Citation: BMC Women's Health 2024 24:626
    Content type: Research Published on:

  10. Menopausal syndrome, occurring during the menopausal stage in women, manifests as symptoms stemming from decreased estrogen levels, such as hot flashes, insomnia, mental disorders (anxiety, depression), and os...

    Authors: Xinyuan Xie, Jinbin Song, Yue Wu, Mei Li, Wenfeng Guo, Shuang Li and Yanwu Li
    Citation: BMC Women's Health 2024 24:608
    Content type: Research Published on:

    The Correction to this article has been published in BMC Women's Health 2025 25:135

  11. Women may lack awareness of the existence of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), its benefits, and potential drawbacks. Furthermore, they may be uninformed about the treatability of menopausal symptoms. Consequ...

    Authors: Min Huei Gan, Muhammad Junaid Farrukh, Long Chiau Ming, Ganesh Sritheran Paneerselvam, Omotayo Fatokun and Susi Ari Kristina
    Citation: BMC Women's Health 2024 24:569
    Content type: Research Published on:

  12. Uterine arteriovenous malformation (UAM) is a rare medical condition. Even though UAM can cause abnormal and life-threatening uterine hemorrhage, there is no consensus on the clinical guideline on its treatmen...

    Authors: Haomeng Zhang, Shuman Sheng, Wei Liu, Xiaoyi Qi, Tianyu Dai, Feng Geng, Changzhong Li and Fei Wang
    Citation: BMC Women's Health 2024 24:541
    Content type: Case Report Published on:

  13. The onset of menopause leads to diminished estrogen exposure, resulting in a high morbidity burden related to menopausal symptoms. Menopausal hormonal therapy is an effective therapy that offers more advantage...

    Authors: Tewodros Getahun Asfaw, Rahel Demissew Gebreyohannes and Milcah Temesgen Tesfaye
    Citation: BMC Women's Health 2024 24:515
    Content type: Research Published on:

  14. women post-menopause, are faced with various physical, emotional, and relational challenges. One such aspect that tends to be overlooked is the impact of menopause on sexual well-being. This study aimed to elu...

    Authors: Elnaz Haji Rafiei, Hedyeh Riazi, Jamal Shams and Hamid Alavi Majd
    Citation: BMC Women's Health 2024 24:506
    Content type: Research Published on:

  15. Menopause significantly impacts the immune system. Postmenopausal women are more susceptible to infection. Nonetheless, the pattern of change in peripheral white blood cell counts around the menopause remains ...

    Authors: Qiaoyun Dai, Yaya Zhang, Xiujuan Zhao, Xueying Yang, Huayu Sun, Shouling Wu, Shuohua Chen, Jianmei Wang, Zongfu Cao and Xu Ma
    Citation: BMC Women's Health 2024 24:504
    Content type: Research Published on:

  16. The transition to menopause is a significant event affecting health, well-being, and quality of life. Menopause typically occurs between the ages of 44–57, accompanied by symptoms such as hot flashes, mood cha...

    Authors: Emma A. Blackson, Christina McCarthy, Caryn Bell, Shokufeh Ramirez and Alessandra N. Bazzano
    Citation: BMC Women's Health 2024 24:487
    Content type: Systematic Review Published on:

  17. Women experiencing problematic menopausal symptoms report lower health-related quality of life and greater healthcare use than women without symptoms. Not all women want to or are able to take hormone replacem...

    Authors: Annemarie Money, Aylish MacKenzie, Gill Norman, Charlotte Eost-Telling, Danielle Harris, Jane McDermott and Chris Todd
    Citation: BMC Women's Health 2024 24:399
    Content type: Research Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Menopause - a poorly understood stage of life" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.