The British Menopause Society turned its 35th Annual Scientific Conference into a 12-hour on-demand package that carried 12 CPD credits and ran from 7 July to 7 October 2026. The theme, “The menopause landscape: pathways to better care”, was a clear signal that the Society is pushing the profession beyond broad awareness and toward more consistent diagnosis, treatment and follow-up in UK clinics.
That matters because the BMS describes itself as the specialist authority for menopause and post-reproductive health in the UK, and says it was established in 1989. Its education programme is described as evidence-based and peer-reviewed, with best-practice recommendations drawn from national and international guidelines. In practical terms, that is the standard many women will now expect when they ask a GP about irregular bleeding, vasomotor symptoms, sleep disruption or whether hormone therapy is suitable for them.
The timing also tells its own story. The live conference took place on 25 and 26 June 2026, and the BMS education calendar marked it as full before the on-demand version opened. The move to a flexible format reflects a profession that still needs protected time for menopause training, especially in primary care, where many women first present, and in secondary care, where advice on prescribing and long-term management can still vary widely.
The Society has also been widening the curriculum around the conference. Its education calendar lists future masterclasses and specialist courses, including sessions on cognitive behavioural therapy for hot flushes and night sweats. That is a notable shift away from treating menopause education as shorthand for HRT alone and toward a broader clinical toolkit that includes symptom control, counselling and behavioural approaches.
The conference materials also addressed the transparency questions that continue to shadow menopause education. The programme PDF said the meeting was financially supported in part by the pharmaceutical industry through exhibition, but that exhibitors had no influence over the programme, content or selection of speakers. BMS conference pages say speakers must declare interests at the beginning of their presentations. For a field where prescribing guidance and commercial influence are often scrutinised closely, that language is not decorative.
The on-demand conference also sat inside a bigger BMS expansion. The Society launched its Management of the Menopause certificate e-learning platform in 2024, and Women’s Health Concern said that launch was driven in part by a BMS survey showing many healthcare professionals felt they did not have enough access to evidence-based menopause education and training. Taken together, the conference, the certificate platform and the wider 2026 education calendar point to a market where accredited menopause learning is becoming routine professional development, not a niche add-on.