Reacción a "Women are increasingly turning to online content to manage the menopause"

Is the study of good quality?

“This is a Research Letter published in JAMA Network Open, an international journal with a very high impact factor and wide recognition in the biomedical field. Research Letters are short-form articles that report original research findings, but they are nonetheless subject to peer review and the journal’s editorial standards.

The authors use an observational design based on Google Trends data to analyse trends in searches related to the menopause in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia over a 20-year period. This type of approach offers the possibility of studying population patterns on a large scale, analysing long-term trends and accessing continuously collected data. However, Google Trends reflects search trends and not actual behaviour. In other words, it reveals which topics spark public interest, but not exactly how many people are conducting the searches, what information they find, whether this information is of high quality, or whether it subsequently influences their health decisions. Consequently, the results are useful for describing social trends and shifts in interest regarding the menopause, although they do not allow for direct conclusions to be drawn about clinical practice or women’s health.”

How does this study fit with existing evidence?

“This study is consistent with the growing social visibility of the menopause observed in recent years. However, rather than providing new evidence on women’s health or the effectiveness of available interventions, it documents changes in online information-seeking behaviour.

The results suggest that there is growing interest both in information about the menopause and in the products and services marketed around it. However, the study does not allow us to determine whether this increase in searches is due to a greater need for information, greater social awareness, more intensive marketing strategies, or possible shortcomings in the healthcare received by women.”

Are there any important limitations to bear in mind?

“The authors have sought to minimise certain potential biases (confounding factors) through a predefined strategy for selecting and classifying search terms, as well as through appropriate statistical analyses to assess long-term trends. Furthermore, they compared three countries and different health domains to better contextualise the results.

However, there are significant limitations that must be taken into account. The main one is that Google Trends does not provide information on who is carrying out the searches, so it is not possible to ascertain the age, sex, menopausal status or other characteristics of the people interested in this content. Nor does it allow us to identify the reasons behind the searches or to assess the quality or accuracy of the information found.

Furthermore, the increase in searches could be influenced by numerous external factors, such as greater media coverage of the menopause, awareness campaigns, cultural changes, the rise of social media or digital marketing strategies.

Therefore, although the study adequately describes a temporal trend, it does not allow us to establish the causes behind this phenomenon or the consequences it may have on women’s health or decisions.”

What are the implications for the real world?

“In my view, the main implication for the real world is that women continue to seek answers outside the healthcare system. This reflects a growing demand for information during this stage of life.

From a public health perspective, these results should also be interpreted as a wake-up call regarding unmet needs in women’s health. Although the menopause affects more than half the population at some point in their lives, there remains a significant lack of health education, specific training for some professionals, unequal access to effective treatments, and a dearth of research in priority areas such as sleep, mental health, sexual function, musculoskeletal health, physical exercise and quality of life.

Therefore, the problem is not necessarily that there are more products or services related to the menopause, but rather that women may feel compelled to seek answers outside the healthcare system when they perceive that their needs are not being adequately met. Consequently, in the coming decades, the goal should be to make the health of menopausal women a genuine priority in research, healthcare and health education. Only in this way can we ensure that women have access to evidence-based information and accessible treatment options to confidently navigate this stage of life.”