AI-guided menopause VR wins support from 20 women in an early study

After one 45-minute session with an AI-guided menopause program in virtual reality, all 20 study participants said they would return—and recommend it to someone else. The findings offer an early sign that women will accept this approach to support. They do not show whether the program reduces hot flashes or other symptoms.

The small qualitative study of MenoZen VR is being reported for The Menopause Society’s 2026 Annual Meeting, held October 20–24 in San Diego. Patient Care Online detailed the participants’ responses on October 20. The research focused on feasibility and acceptability: whether women could use the system and found the experience worthwhile.

An access gap, then a headset session

The project began with a treatment-access problem. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is an established nonhormonal option for managing menopause-related symptoms, including hot flashes, insomnia and depression. But access can be limited by the availability of conveniently located providers, as well as cost and convenience, according to The Menopause Society’s account published by News Medical.

Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Mayo Clinic and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center developed MenoZen VR around the needs of midlife women. They used human-centered design to shape an AI-enabled virtual-reality program intended to deliver behavioral techniques and menopause education.

Between August and November 2025, investigators recruited 20 women from Mayo Clinic’s midlife women’s health clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Participants were 45 to 60 years old, had bothersome hot flashes and night sweats at least 28 times a week, and were not using hormone therapy. Their average age was 55.

After completing baseline surveys, each woman used MenoZen VR for 45 minutes on a Meta Quest 3S headset. An AI-enabled avatar named Maia guided them through modules drawing on CBT, talk therapy, mindfulness and paced breathing. The session brought several behavioral approaches together rather than testing a single exercise in isolation.

What women took away from Maia

The group was not made up primarily of experienced headset users: 65% had little or no prior VR experience. Half also had little or no experience with therapy or counseling. Those starting points give context to the usability findings, which came from women encountering unfamiliar technology and, in some cases, unfamiliar therapeutic techniques.

Afterward, participants completed usability and session-rating surveys, followed by a semi-structured interview. Researchers analyzed the interviews for recurring themes. Nine emerged, covering subjects such as headset and program usability, educational value, perceived symptom-management value, personalized support, accessibility and impressions of Maia.

Every participant described Maia as nonjudgmental. Alongside their unanimous willingness to return, that response supports the researchers’ early finding of acceptability. It describes how women experienced the avatar during the session, however, rather than a measured change in their health.

Although larger studies are needed to determine clinical effectiveness, these findings suggest that innovative technologies, such as AI-enhanced virtual reality, may offer a promising way to expand access to cognitive behavioral therapy and other evidence-based interventions for women during the menopause transition.

Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director of The Menopause Society and a study author

Beyond the first visit

Investigators plan further studies with longer follow-up to evaluate feasibility, acceptability, tolerability and initial efficacy. That next phase would move beyond reactions to a first encounter: whether women continue to find the program usable, tolerate it over time and experience a clinical benefit are questions the planned research is intended to address.