The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) published on Friday, 16 October 2026, its first evidence-based clinical guideline on vasomotor and genitourinary symptoms of menopause (C-Gyn 9). The document is for clinicians in Australia and New Zealand; it is not a law and not personal medical advice. ABC reported the guideline on Saturday.

Menopause, in the guideline’s definition, begins 12 months after a woman’s last period. In Australia the average age is 51, and most women reach it between 45 and 55, ABC said. The guideline covers hot flushes and night sweats, and vaginal dryness, pain with sex and a frequent need to urinate, in women aged 40 and over, including those with a history of breast cancer. It does not cover bone density, joint pain, libido, depression or anxiety.

Guideline group chair Catriona Melville said the aim was to “cut through the noise” and give clear, evidence-based recommendations for clinicians to discuss with patients. Options — including menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), acupuncture and hypnosis — are ranked from very low to high quality of evidence. Women taking MHT should have an annual review.

RANZCOG notes there is not enough evidence that weight loss or physical activity alone improve hot flushes, or that hypnosis improves sleep. For women with a history of breast cancer, the guideline allows discussion of vaginal oestrogen for genitourinary symptoms; systemic MHT is not recommended for vasomotor symptoms in current or past breast cancer. Those are college recommendations, not a prompt to self-medicate.

Magdalena Simonis, a Melbourne GP who did not work on the guideline, said it reinforces treating the whole person, including lifestyle, lipids, bone health and screening. Sarah White of Jean Hailes for Women’s Health welcomed a common standard against online misinformation. The guideline asks clinicians to ask actively about troublesome symptoms, including among First Nations, Māori and Pacific women.

The Australian government is funding separate national perimenopause and menopause guidelines expected next year, to which RANZCOG is contributing. This article describes a professional guideline; it does not replace a medical consultation.

Image: Commander Keane, Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; archive building, not a photograph of the RANZCOG guideline launch on 16 October 2026.

Sources consulted: Australia has new guidelines for managing menopausal symptoms — ABC News; RANZCOG Launches New Guideline on Vasomotor and Genitourinary Symptoms of Menopause — RANZCOG.