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What the Meno Happened in September?
Our September News Round Up
18th Edition – October 1, 2026
Welcome Ladies
Welcome to our September roundup of all things menopause related. Let's dive in:
Pink Noise
We’d never heard of it either — until an article in the New Scientist caught our attention.
The Science:
Sleeping while listening to short bursts of pink noise (a soft, static-like sound) appears to strengthen slow brainwaves during non-REM sleep stages N2 and N3. These waves coincide with the rhythmic pumping of blood vessels that drives cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) through the brain, helping clear waste products linked to conditions such as Alzheimer’s.
Researchers trained an AI model on prior EEG data to predict the peaks of these slow waves in real time. They then played 50-millisecond bursts of pink noise to healthy adults wearing EEG electrodes during an afternoon nap inside an MRI scanner (27 people were recruited; 14 successfully fell asleep). The noise both amplified the slow waves and briefly increased CSF flow into the brain compared with silent periods.
The team plans further tests to see whether the same approach works in older adults and can improve clearance of proteins such as beta-amyloid, with the longer-term hope of a portable device that could help slow age-related cognitive decline during sleep.
So if you’re one of the many people who like to listen to something to help you fall asleep, you might want to try pink noise. It’s easy to find on Spotify and Amazon Music. We have added a few example "tunes" to our Menolink Spotify Playlist. Read the full New Scientist article here:
(Note: This is early-stage research in healthy younger adults. Continuous pink noise played all night is not the same as these precisely timed short bursts.)
Patched Up
If you rely on HRT patches, it may be worth reviewing where you place them.
According to guidance and studies the upper buttock, just below the hip is often one of the better sites. Application here can increase absorption by roughly 17–25% compared with the lower abdomen, thanks to good blood flow and fatty tissue.
The lower abdomen, just below the belly button, away from the waistband, remains a standard and reliable alternative.
Always follow the specific instructions for your brand of patch, rotate sites to reduce skin irritation, and place the patch on clean, dry, intact skin free of lotions or oils, obvs!
Read the full article here:
Are we being ‘menowashed"?
Good Housekeeping has featured an article titled “Are we being ‘menowashed’?”, which examines whether menopause is receiving so much attention that a wide range of unrelated health problems are being automatically attributed to it.
It acknowledges that menopause has become much more openly discussed.And that is a good thing of course; More women are seeking treatment, and awareness of symptoms and hormone-replacement therapy has improved considerably. However, the article warns that this increased attention can create a new problem: assuming symptoms such as brain fog, poor sleep, fatigue, hot flushes, vaginal dryness or mood changes are always caused by menopause.
Doctors interviewed say these symptoms can also result from other conditions, including:
• Thyroid disorders.
• Iron-deficiency anaemia.
• Vitamin B12 deficiency.
• Sleep apnoea.
• Anxiety, depression and stress.
• Medication side effects.
• Autoimmune conditions.
• Diabetes and other illnesses.
• Pregnancy! (And you do not want to miss that!)
The article is also critical of the expanding menopause industry. It argues that companies increasingly market supplements, teas, books, beauty products, cooling products and other goods as menopause solutions, sometimes without strong evidence.
The term “menowashing” is used to describe exploiting menopause awareness commercially or presenting ordinary products as essential menopause treatments.
At the same time, the article stresses that the increased focus on menopause has brought genuine benefits. Women are more likely to seek help, and clinicians are becoming more aware of symptoms that were previously dismissed.
The key message is not to reject menopause treatment, but to avoid treating it as the automatic explanation for every symptom.
That’s all for this month ladies. We hope you have enjoyed the long hot summer and are looking forward to a cool autumn.
The Menolink Team
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