Does private health insurance cover menopause treatment?

What are the symptoms of menopause?

The menopause is when your hormone levels change, and your periods stop. This means you won’t be able to become pregnant naturally (although it’s possible with specialist fertility treatment).

Menopause generally begins anytime between the ages of 45 and 55, but it varies from person to person, so it could be earlier or later. Menopause symptoms also vary, and you won’t necessarily have all of them, but typical characteristics include:

• Irregular periods when they were previously regular (although you won’t necessarily be aware of this if you’re on the contraceptive pill).
• Hot flushes sometimes accompanied by dizziness.
• Sleeping difficulties as well as night sweats.
• Palpitations when you can feel your heart beating faster than usual.
• Joint pain.
• Changes in your body (usually weight gain, but if you lose muscle mass, you could also lose weight).
• Skin problems such as dryness or irritation, sometimes causing acne as your hormone levels change.
• Lower sex drive, vaginal dryness, pain, itchiness or discomfort during sex.
• Repeated urinary tract infections (UTIs).

As well as physical changes, you may notice changes in your mood. For example, you may experience anxiety, mood swings and bouts of low self-esteem. Brain fog (memory and concentration loss) is another common feature of menopause.

Bear in mind that if you’ve had a hysterectomy or an oophorectomy (where your ovaries are removed), your operation can trigger menopause. However, your consultant should discuss this with you before any surgery.

What is perimenopause?

Perimenopause is the run-up to the menopause when you experience symptoms but continue to have periods.

The perimenopause ends when you haven’t had a period for 12 months. At this point, perimenopause becomes the menopause.

How can menopause symptoms be treated?

You can treat menopausal symptoms with HRT (hormone replacement therapy), which is usually prescribed by a GP. A few low-dose vaginal oestrogen products, for vaginal symptoms, can also be bought from a pharmacy.

If you think you’ve started the menopause (are perimenopausal), you should speak to your GP about your symptoms and options. You don’t have to take HRT (and it isn’t suitable for everyone), so a discussion about what you can do generally can be helpful if you prefer to avoid taking medication.

What is HRT?

There are two main types of HRT available: one is oestrogen-only, and the other is combined HRT, which contains oestrogen and progestogen. You can take HRT in several ways, for instance, tablets, skin patches, gels, sprays or a hormonal coil. Your doctor will discuss which option you feel most comfortable with, so don’t be afraid to ask about the pros and cons of each.

If you’re experiencing other effects, such as a low sex drive, your doctor may also offer treatment, which includes testosterone.

Private health insurance doesn’t usually cover HRT. You can get it on the NHS, but in England you’ll usually need to pay prescription charges for it. The good news is that since April 2023, HRT medication in England has been heavily subsidised.

Now, you can buy a Hormone Replacement Therapy Prescription Prepayment Certificate (HRT PPC), which covers an unlimited number of eligible HRT medicines for 12 months. Not every HRT medicine is included, so check yours first. It currently costs £19.80, and you can buy one here.

If you need other medicines beyond HRT, you could buy a standard prepayment certificate, which is more expensive at £114.50, but if you have numerous prescriptions each year, it could offer quite a saving. You can buy a standard PPC here.

Does health insurance cover menopause treatment?

Private health insurance doesn’t usually cover menopause treatment or prescriptions of HRT. That said, private health insurance with outpatient cover could play a part in the initial diagnosis.

While many women will receive their perimenopause and menopause diagnosis from their GP, there are times when additional tests, scans and gynaecologist consultations are required to reach a diagnosis. This could be for several reasons, such as you being younger than 40 or perhaps experiencing other symptoms which aren't typical. Generally speaking, if your GP doubts the diagnosis, they will likely refer you to a gynaecologist.

Health insurance with outpatient cover will usually cover the cost of gynaecologist consultations

Assuming you have outpatient cover (and your symptoms aren't associated with a pre-existing condition) when your GP refers you for further investigations, your health insurance should cover the cost of going private for those.

Remember, though, most policies won't cover the routine management of menopause, so once you're diagnosed, you'll usually be referred back to your GP for ongoing treatment.

There are some exceptions. Saga's Saver Plus, Secure and Super plans pay for treatment if your GP refers you to a specialist for menopausal symptoms, and National Friendly's Level 4 plan pays for up to three consultations every five years (up to £300 each) for advice and tests at different stages of the menopause.

Read next

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How outpatient cover works for consultations, tests and therapies, what the limits mean and how leading insurers' outpatient cover differs.

Atypical symptoms and other conditions

While menopause treatment isn't covered by private health insurance, if you experience severe or atypical symptoms which you and your GP think could be something other than menopause, you should be able to use your health insurance as you usually would to have it investigated.

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Why is menopause treatment not covered by insurance?

Private health insurance covers acute conditions. These illnesses can be resolved with treatment, such as broken bones or a hernia. Policies can also cover elective surgery, such as a hip replacement.

As perimenopause and menopause are natural biological processes and not acute conditions, they're usually excluded from policies.

Does private health insurance provide any menopause support?

Although HRT treatment is not covered, some insurance providers offer menopause support. This typically includes access to mental health advice and information about relieving symptoms through diet and lifestyle. Don’t forget that many private healthcare plans include access to a virtual GP as standard. So, if you have any particular concerns, you can speak to someone sooner rather than later.

A few health insurers offer more bespoke support as part of a standard healthcare policy. For example, Vitality policies include an app that provides access to a menopause expert for one-to-one advice. There are also links to support groups and forums where you can exchange thoughts and meet (virtually) others going through the menopause.

Aviva added menopause support for its individual and small business customers in April 2026. Through Aviva Digital GP, you can book up to six 30-minute consultations with a menopause-trained nurse, who can refer you to a GP with specialist menopause expertise for up to two longer appointments if needed. Read more about Aviva’s menopause support.

What’s included varies from one insurer to the next, so it’s worth comparing health insurance plans to see which support comes as standard.

Bupa also offers a menopause plan package with tailored advice and support for one year. However, these Bupa plans are not included in a standard policy. Instead, you’ll need to pay for a menopause package, which is currently £299 (you can buy a plan whether you’re an existing customer or not).

How can I access private healthcare as I get older?

You can take out private health insurance at any age with some insurers: Aviva, Bupa and Saga have no upper age limit for new members. You can also pay for treatment yourself as and when you need it. Menopause is a natural part of ageing, which may lead you to think more about your overall health and the benefits of private health insurance.

Not only can policies help you access treatment quickly, depending on the level of cover you have, but they could also enable you to choose where you’re treated and by whom. Finally, as we mentioned earlier, if you have atypical menopause symptoms and your GP suspects it could be caused by something else, you can use your health insurance for specialist consultations and tests (assuming you have outpatient cover).

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