Around one in every three women is experiencing the menopause or perimenopause right now. Despite being such a common and natural part of female life, scientific and societal understanding of menopause remains inadequate. At the Menopause Research Hub, our mission is to push the boundaries of research to improve the health, wellbeing, and quality of life of women in the menopause transition. We work across research, healthcare and communities to create meaningful, lasting change.
Our mission
We lead and support high-quality research to deepen understanding of menopause and to develop effective, evidence-based solutions that improve women’s lives.
Our healthcare professionals work to improve access to timely menopause care so that all women receive the support they deserve.
We research how employers can create menopause-inclusive environments by promoting best practices, offering guidance of how menopause can affect working life.
We involve women directly in shaping research priorities, co-designing studies, and evaluating services so that their lived experiences guide our work.
We work closely with government, healthcare bodies, and policymakers to ensure that decisions are guided by the latest evidence and reflect the real needs of women.
We focus on understanding diverse experiences of menopause across different communities and work to ensure equitable access to care, information, and support.
Meet the Directors
“Many women going through menopause experience real challenges like weight gain, loss of muscle and a higher risk of certain health conditions. Our research is dedicated to understanding why these changes happen and developing practical strategies to help prevent - and even reverse - them.”
"I’m passionate about tackling the dietary health inequalities that many women face, and my work focuses on finding ways to reduce them, particularly linked to living with overweight and obesity. My research also looks at nutrition during menopause to better understand how changing hormone levels affect the body — including metabolism, appetite, and risk for heart disease."
“Some of the challenges in menopause management are symptomatic relief for patients with Hormone sensitive breast cancer or early surgical menopause due to needing ovarian removal in pre-menopause period. Research around these issues will help find some alternatives. The health issues which are indirectly linked but are prevalent after menopause are also focus of our research involvement."
“I am a registered British Menopause Society menopause specialist and trainer with over 25 years experience in Menopause care, including clinical leadership. I am passionate about evidenced based mid-life care and look forward to linking with like-minded researchers and clinicians in Grampian."
'Why Menopause Matters' podcast
Projects and publications
- Examples of MIRH active funded research projects
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- PROTECTOR - Preventing Ovarian Cancer through early Excision of Tubes and late Ovarian Removal PROTECTOR Study – Protector (Aberdeen Lead Dr Atiyah Kamran)
- OASIS 4- Phase 3 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of elinzanetant 120 mg in women receiving adjuvant endocrine therapy for HR+ breast cancer and experiencing VMS Elinzanetant significantly reduces frequency of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms associated with endocrine therapy for breast cancer in Phase III OASIS-4 study | Bayer United Kingdom (Aberdeen Lead Dr Atiyah Kamran)
- PEARLS: Proactive against reactive therapy for the prevention of Lichen Sclerosus exacerbation and progression of disease PEARLS (Aberdeen Lead Dr Atiyah Kamran) SHELLS :Establishing Effective Diagnostic Criteria for Vulval Lichen Sclerosus SHELLS (Aberdeen Lead Dr Atiyah Kamran)
- GendAge Weight loss study, to examine the influence of sex, age, and HRT on sex hormone expression during caloric deficit. (Lead Prof Alex Johnstone).
- Discovery of brain circuit reversing the decline in physical activity and muscle mass with age. (Lead Prof Lora Heisler)
- PhD project, University of Aberdeen, School of Psychology, to develop a psychologically informed toolkit to educate, empower and support women, employees and line managers in the workplace. (Lead Dr Chithramali Rodrigo and Linda Engles)
- Examples of MIRH scientific publications
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- Dinish US, Logan S, Balasundaram G, Xinhui VT, Vinod Ram K, Ruochong Z, Renzhe B, Silvani S, Hua Cheng K, Xia X, Giap Hean G, Choolani M, Olivo M. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and imaging for non-invasive objective assessment of genitourinary syndrome of menopause: a pilot study. Sci Rep. 2024 Jan 11;14(1):1085.
- Logan S, Wong BWX, Tan JHI, Kramer MS, Yong EL. Menopausal symptoms in midlife Singaporean women: Prevalence rates and associated factors from the Integrated Women's Health Programme (IWHP). Maturitas. 2023 Oct 6;178:107853.
- Logan S, Thu WPP, Ho K, Cauley JA, Kramer MS, Yong EL. Sexual inactivity and sexual dysfunction in midlife Singaporean women: A prospective cross-sectional study of prevalence and risk factors. Maturitas. 2021 Oct;152:1-9.
- Yong EL, Logan S. Menopausal osteoporosis: screening, prevention and treatment. Singapore Med J. 2021 Apr; 62(4):159-166. • Logan S. Interventions for vasomotor symptoms - more trials, less variation please. BJOG. 2020 Feb; 127 (3):334.
- Rodrigo CH, Sebire E, Bhattacharya S, Paranjothy S, Black M. Effectiveness of workplace-based interventions to promote wellbeing among menopausal women: A systematic review. Post Reprod Health. 2023 Jun;29(2):99-108. doi: 10.1177/20533691231177414. Epub 2023 May 19. PMID: 37207326; PMCID: PMC10273852.
Useful links
- NHS website - Includes information on symptoms, treatment, help and support.
- University of Aberdeen staff and students - Find out useful information about our local menopause policy, toolkit, assistance and wellbeing support.
MIRH Est: 2025