Menopause: Long Covid

(asked on 12th December 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to encourage research on the potential impact of (a) covid-19 and (b) long covid on menopausal women.


Answered by
Maria Caulfield Portrait
Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
This question was answered on 20th December 2022

The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). While no specific research has been commissioned on the potential impact of COVID-19 on menopausal women, the NIHR has funded research into menopause, COVID-19 and the long term effects of the virus.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. However, it is not usual practice for the NIHR to ring-fence funding for research into particular topics or conditions. Subject to receiving high quality applications, the NIHR expects to commission a new policy research unit dedicated to reproductive health. The new unit will undertake research to inform policy in areas such as menstruation and gynaecological conditions. Applications are currently being reviewed and the unit expected to operate from January 2024.

Reticulating Splines