Could AI-Powered Virtual Reality Widen Access to Menopause Therapy?
Key Takeaways:
- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is effective for several menopause symptoms, including hot flushes, insomnia, depression and sexual dysfunction, but many women struggle to access it.
- A small multicentre qualitative study tested MenoZen VR™, a new AI-enhanced virtual reality programme in which an avatar called Maia guides users through CBT, mindfulness, paced breathing and other evidence-based techniques.
- Midlife women showed strong interest in this personalised, non-pharmacological approach, although researchers say larger studies are needed to confirm its clinical effectiveness.
Closing the gap in menopause care
Cognitive behavioural therapy has proven effective in managing a range of menopause symptoms, including hot flushes, insomnia, depression and sexual dysfunction. However, access to this form of treatment remains limited. A new study suggests that virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) could offer an effective way to deliver CBT interventions to women going through the menopause.
The results of the study will be presented at the 2026 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society, taking place in San Diego from 20–24 October 2026.
The burden of menopause symptoms
Approximately 80% of midlife women experience hot flushes and night sweats, which are collectively known as vasomotor symptoms. Alongside other menopause symptoms such as sleep disturbances, mood changes and cognitive difficulties, these can have a significant impact on women’s lives.
Hormone therapy remains the gold standard pharmacological intervention. Yet recent data show that its use is low, with only 1.7% of women in the US using it in 2023. This has contributed to the growth of non-pharmacological treatment options, including CBT. One persistent barrier to this type of treatment, however, has been a lack of conveniently located providers.
How AI and virtual reality could help
Advances in virtual reality and artificial intelligence could help to address this gap in access. In a small-scale multicentre study, researchers developed a novel AI-VR programme, MenoZen VR™, designed for menopause symptom management and tailored to the biopsychosocial needs of midlife women.
The researchers recruited women aged 45 to 60 who were experiencing bothersome hot flushes, defined as more than 28 episodes per week, and who were not currently using hormone therapy. Participants used the MenoZen VR™ programme on a Meta Quest 3S headset.
The programme featured an AI-VR avatar named Maia, who guided participants through a series of modules. These modules incorporated a variety of behavioural therapy and psychoeducation principles, including:
- CBT
- talk therapy
- mindfulness
- paced breathing exercises
Many of these techniques, such as CBT principles, mindfulness and paced breathing, draw on established approaches to supporting behaviour change. These skills are explored in CCH’s Behaviour Change Skills – Complete Package, which helps healthcare professionals build confidence in using evidence-based behaviour change techniques with the people they support.
Strong interest from midlife women
Findings from the qualitative study suggest that midlife women are highly interested in using a menopause-specific, personalised, non-pharmacological intervention such as MenoZen VR™ to manage their menopause symptoms.
Dr Karisma Suchak, lead author of the study, from the Cedars-Sinai Center for Virtual Medicine and Health System Transformation, said:
“This study demonstrates early feasibility and acceptability of an AI-VR program, such as MenoZen VR™, to successfully deliver evidence-based therapies to reduce symptom burden and improve the quality of life, while also addressing barriers to care such as accessibility.”
Details of the study will be shared as part of a presentation entitled “Qualitative Validation of MenoZen VR™: An AI-Enhanced Virtual Reality Program for Menopause Symptom Management.”
Expanding access to evidence-based treatment
Dr Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society and a study author, highlighted the challenges many women face in accessing non-drug treatments.
“Many women struggle to access evidence-based nonpharmacologic treatments for menopause symptoms because of barriers such as availability, cost, and convenience,” said Dr Faubion. “Although larger studies are needed to determine clinical effectiveness, these findings suggest that innovative technologies, such as AI-enhanced virtual reality, may offer a promising way to expand access to cognitive behavioral therapy and other evidence-based interventions for women during the menopause transition.”
CCH insight
Whether delivered face to face or through emerging technologies like AI-enhanced virtual reality, evidence-based behavioural approaches such as CBT can make a real difference to how people manage their symptoms. CCH’s Behaviour Change Skills Complete Package equips healthcare professionals with practical skills to support meaningful, lasting change, helping you guide the people in your care towards better health and quality of life.
Explore Behaviour Change Skills – Complete Package →
Source: The Menopause Society
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