Menopause for Thought
Eddie Hooker, founder and CEO of Hamilton Fraser on how to safeguard yourself when adding menopause services to your aesthetics clinic
In our 2025 trends report, women’s health was identified as one of the key growth areas for aesthetics. We predicted that “the demand for not only intimate health procedures but addressing the impact of hormones on women’s overall health (and skin) will continue to rise”, and a big part of this picture is menopause.
As awareness grows and more and more clinics recognise the importance of holistic care that extends beyond traditional treatments, so does demand, making this an ideal time for aesthetic clinics to integrate menopause services into their offerings.
But while this presents an exciting business opportunity, extending services into the menopause space needs to prioritise the patient at its core, and considerations should be given to topics like safeguarding, regulation (are you CQC registered if you are providing certain services?), and scope of practice.
Hamilton Fraser has been proud to partner with Menopause in Aesthetics (now re-branding as Menopause in Practice), and at its 2025 event, I sat on a panel entitled “Becoming a menopause first responder: The business case for introducing menopause services into your aesthetics practice.”
In this article, I will explore the key considerations if you are thinking of becoming a “menopause first responder”.
Safeguarding your practice
Menopause has long been an underserved area of healthcare. Many women experience a wide range of symptoms, including skin concerns, weight fluctuations, and hormonal imbalances, yet they struggle to find knowledgeable professionals who can address their needs holistically.
One of the critical elements of adding menopause services to your practice is compliance with regulatory standards. For example, if you are offering regulated treatments such as HRT, medical weight loss or intimate health procedure, you must be CQC registered.
Safeguarding is another key consideration. Safeguarding is vital to protect both patients and practitioners. As the aesthetics sector expands into sensitive areas such as menopause care, gaps in safeguarding policies and training are becoming increasingly apparent. We carried out a survey to assess what some of these gaps were. It showed:
- 74.19% of respondents had not received formal safeguarding training specific to intimate health treatments, though all (100%) expressed interest in receiving it
- Only 48.3% felt their training adequately prepared them to handle safeguarding issues, with 24.1% stating it did not and 27.6% being unsure
- More than half (54.8%) of respondents confirmed their workplace has clear safeguarding policies for intimate health treatments. 35.4% stated their workplace lacks such policies, while 9.67% were unsure
- 65.5% have a safeguarding lead in their workplace, but 27.6% do not, and 6.9% were unsure.
In addition to the above, proper documentation and patient communication are essential to mitigating legal risks. Most claims we see arise due to a lack of communication between the patient and the practitioner, so my advice is to spend more time consulting, make sure you take thorough notes, and let patients fully understand their treatment options before making a decision.
To support practitioners venturing into this field, Hamilton Fraser has created a groundbreaking new insurance offering designed for aesthetic medical professionals providing menopause advice. Launched on 7 February 2025, this policy extension under the Hamilton Fraser Medical Malpractice policy, underwritten by Hiscox, covers consultations, prescriptions, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) advice.
Key features of this new insurance extension include:
- Eligibility: Exclusively available to existing Hamilton Fraser insurance customers, primarily targeting doctors and nurses. Referrals from other segments may be considered on a case-by-case basis
- Scope of cover: Includes advice on menopause care, consultations, and prescriptions. Note that it’s designed for advice, not treatment
- Application process: Practitioners will complete a detailed question set. A “yes” to all qualifying questions enables access to the add-on
The aesthetics industry is rapidly evolving. A decade ago, menopause treatments were hardly discussed in clinics. Most women relied solely on their GP or didn’t recognise the conditions they were experiencing. But times are changing, and insurance providers like us are stepping up to meet these new demands.
Our job is to protect practitioners and, in turn, their patients. The menopause add-on is designed to provide tailored protection so that practitioners can confidently offer advice on menopause care while safeguarding their business.