As part of its commitment to continuous improvement, the BMS board of trustees has made the decision to review the BMS menopause specialist programme and, as a result, specialist registration is currently suspended.

While the review progresses, the BMS will continue to educate healthcare professionals (HCPs). Completion of the BMS Advanced Certificate in the Principles & Practice of Menopause Care still facilitates HCPs to accept external referrals, manage complex cases and deliver specialist menopause care.

For further information, please refer to the BMS statement.

Many healthcare professionals in primary and secondary care have a special interest in menopause.

A menopause specialist is a healthcare professional who has additional knowledge and skills, assessing and treating women with complex needs such as multiple treatment failures, POI, complex medical problems, high risk cancer genes or hormone dependant cancer. They accept referrals of more complex patients and support colleagues to manage patients with higher risk factors or where there are multiple factors that affect decision making.

BMS menopause specialist definition

A BMS menopause specialist is a healthcare professional who holds a recognised menopause educational qualification:

  • BMS Advanced Certificate in the Principles and Practice of Menopause Care (PPMC);
  • RCOG Menopause Care Special Interest Training Module (SITM) (formerly the Advanced Training Skills Module (ATSM) in menopause care);
  • CoSRH Menopause Care Professional Diploma (MCPD) (formerly the FSRH Advanced Certificate in Menopause Care);
  • CoSRH Community Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare (CSRH) curriculum, obtaining the Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), or reaching the equivalent standard as assessed by the GMC and awarded a CESR in CSRH; or
  • an equivalent qualification (e.g. the subspecialty training programme in reproductive medicine)

and who:

  • holds professional registration with a licence to practise in the UK or Ireland;
  • is a member of the British Menopause Society;
  • attends a national or international menopause society scientific conference at least once every three years (minimum two-day/12 CPD credit, e.g. BMS, IMS, EMAS);
  • provides a minimum of 100 menopause related consultations per year, of which at least 50 are new; and
  • is responsible for ensuring that the specialism is documented in their job plan and is discussed and recorded at their annual appraisal in the UK or Ireland.

Please note: healthcare professionals in training are eligible to complete the requirements for BMS PPMC advanced certification (or equivalent). However, they will only be eligible for registration as a BMS menopause specialist upon completion of their training and as independent practitioners.

BMS menopause specialist responsibilities

BMS menopause specialists are expected to:

  • follow national and international guidelines;
  • follow BMS recommendations for best practice and prescribing, e.g. BMS and WHC’s 2020 recommendations on hormone replacement therapy in menopausal women and the BMS consensus statement on Bioidentical HRT;
  • provide menopause education and training in line with national and international guidelines and BMS best practice recommendations;
  • engage with multidisciplinary teams across specialties to develop local pathways, formularies and guidelines; and
  • practice within their own capabilities and in line with the requirements of their regulatory body.

Further information is available in the BMS Menopause Specialist Policy. The BMS Membership and Menopause Specialist Register Privacy Notice details how we will process your data.